rybakov

Given the crowded and complicated nature of the ornament surounding the quarter galleries, I wanted to sketch in the various elements (the mermaids, the figure if Africa sitting on her caryatid archway, the quarter piece supporting the side lantern, and the crown and flames), in order to get a sense for their relative proportions and whether I could make it all work in the space available to me.
 

 
What I found was that the 1/4" extension I was adding to the stern was not going to be sufficient, however, if I added an extra 1/8" (the dotted, parallel line that previously represented the round-up of the upper stern) - then I had enough room to make it work.
 
once all of those elements were sketched in place, and relatively close to their ideal shape and size, I was able to complete the freize layout around them.  I think that when I digitize this image, I'll be able to shorten Africa a bit, and lengthen the quarter piece just enough to seem right.  Anyway, now that I can see where the frieze falls, in the midst of it all, I am now fully confident that I can pull this project off and produce something good.
 
I can't really continue to fill in detail on this sheet of regular bond paper because the surface integrity of the paper is failing with all of the erasures and re-working of the design.  As tends to happen with this approach - the surface is also becoming too muddy with loose graphite.  I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to commit all of this time to learning software, only to discover that there are layout problems that I couldn't overcome.  An astute eye will notice discrepancies between what I am drawing and what is shown in either the black and white stern drawing or the Compardel interpretation of the same, however, there are a few small choices that were necessary for me to either include certain important detail, or omit less critical detail that overly clutters the design.  Again, the proportions of all of this are not yet ideal, but workable now, with the software.
 
here is how the frieze layout translates to the f'ocsle:
 

Good morning, everyone, thank you very kindly.
More photos.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Un Saluto.

@Louie da fly
Thanks for the kind words. That motivates again and again.
Thanks to the others for the LIKES.
 
I am currently preparing the futtock shrouds.

 


The front futtock shrouds were served. The others only in the area of the splices.

Source: Atlas du Génie Maritime
 
 

 

The midlle third of the miling cutter was  grinded  with a wheel for carbide. This way,  the cutter  has a smaller diameter than the diameter of the cutters. Before the diameter on the top of the cutting part was larger. This meant that the cutter could not go deeper than the area which is sharpened as a cutter. This also means that I could not mill through the wood part completely. Now, the cutter can go through completely.

For the next weeks, i have to make some curves. For this section, there are no real obligations to follow exactly the plans. This is why Boudriot says: It only has to please the eye.

The bow light:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

today's job:

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 
 

small advances:

Thank you Bob!
 
And 🙂 if things speed up, they speed up 🙂
 
Missing the mast for proper alignment, I put some irons in the middle as spacers for orientation.
 

 
And suddenly things are done.
 

 

 
Knowing my fat fingers, I will do the final alignment just before the final finish.
 
And too, looks like I need better light on my working place - for better enlightment and pictures 😉
 
 
XXXDAn

@mugje - just to be clear, the resin hull shown is an 'aftermarket' mini-kit supplied by caldercraft, its not included in the kit.  What I'm attempting to do is leverage the kit supplied items as best I can.
 
Cutter Progress: Part 2
 
Keel and bow section was cut out of some spare wood and glued in place, and once the basic hull was completed, a decision was needed on how to add a second layer of planking, kit instructions specify to use another layer of 0.5mm walnut.  I really wanted to try and replicate the clinker hull planking shown in the AOTS Diana book, and to do this a used some cardstock instead of wood to cut individual strakes.  Fist challenge was to determine the width of each plank on the hull.  This was done using 'tick strips' at about 10 points along the hull.  The lowest (non-clinkered) garboard strake was simply omitted.  The end of the cardstock strips were cut down (rather than truly tapered) to allow the planking to terminate smoothly at the front bow and stern which is how I believe the planking is done in practice.  Each strip was cut to about 2.5mm thickness, the benefit of cardstock is that when coated with dilute PVA glue it becomes very manageable and can simply be bent to shape rather than the spiling that would have been necessary if wood had been used.
 
Once the hull had been marked out to 'prove' the planking separation, these were not referenced again.  Once a strip had been installed, the lowest point of the next strip was placed using the tickstrips.  This process was simply repeated, with time allowed for the glue to dry sufficiently for the surface to harden.  Dilute PVA was used quite liberally to ensure a good bond between the wood and card as the hope is for this to add additional structural strength.
 

 

 
The final 2 strakes were completed with one wider strip as the uppermost strake is non-clinkered and would not be visible.  Extra height was added for safety as this can be easily cut back once glue has dried.
 

 
Once both sides had been completed, each was  given a few more coats of dilute PVA for added insurance....why not?!  With the exterior planking work completed, attention could be turned to the interior and the potentially catastrophic step of removing the frames.  This actually went smoothly, but has to be approached with patience and a light hand.  The kit base was removed as well as the actual flooring should be a little lower I feel.  The frames were cut back a little more than is perhaps necessary, but this will allow flexibility as to where the floor is, and hopefully prevent them from being seen.  Practically, it also allowed the interior planking to be sanded more effectively.  The hull in this state clearly needs a light hand, but is surprisingly robust despite my fears.
 
Once an initial sanding had been completed, some light wood filler was used to fill imperfections and deal with some of the slight clinkering of the topmost walnut strips.  Once sanded back, dilute PVA was once again brushed on....yes, paranoia perhaps, but can't hurt.
 

 
Finally I was able to add an initial coat of white point to the hull to get a better idea of how this turned out (In this case Valejo 'off white' as it was all I could get from Amazon in a reasonable timeframe).  This highlighted that some finish work will be required in some areas where the eye is drawn to surface imperfections, but one thing I've learned is that the cardstock planks can be effectively sanded, probably due to the application of dilute PVA glue.  Definitely some fine tuning still needed and far from perfect, but its hard not to be pleased with the result for a first attempt.
 

Good morning, everybody, some progress.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Un Saluto.
 

No, Mark. it's part of the "truss" which holds the yard to the mast, but is loosened when tacking to allow the yard to shift to the other side of the mast - per this illustration from Björn Landström's book The Ship.
 

Pulling on the "downhaul" tightens the truss, pulling the yard to the mast. Loosening it allows the yard to swing free so the lower end can be pushed past the mast, over to the other side which is now the leeward side. That way the wind doesn't push the sail against the mast, which allows a better aerofoil shape and reduces chafing.
 
Steven

Hello,
the catharpins for the mainmast shrouds are completed.
The catharpins with the futtock shrouds get the final tension.

The model has become decidedly more rigid and stable .....
 

Chapter three is still a work in progress. I added the friezes to the ship. The sides of the hull were done in sequence while adding the middle molding along the waste and the laser etched molding along the forecastle and quarter deck. The QGallery roofs were painted dark gray and work has started on the QGallery columns and roof rail.
 
The friezes were cut out with the aid of long ships curves. This worked out quite well and I can think of only one edge that had to be done by eye. For adhesion, I used the Elmers School glue stick. When using the stick, I made several passes over the frieze. I wanted to use enough glue to allow for positioning of the frieze before the glue starts to set which can happen quickly if applied to sparingly. 3-4 passes should be about right. A sharp #11 blade and a clean planking edge makes easy work of cutting the friezes around the inner edge of the gun ports, but only after the glue has dried. Here is where I'm at as of today.

Mike

A little step:

Alright, so it took me a moment to finish the tail on the port side figure, and then work the starboard side to the same point.  The tails differ in small ways, but working the carvings in tandem helps ensure a degree of consistency from one side to the other.  It is also helpful and faster, carving the second piece because all of the process you just worked through for the problems of that section are still fresh in your mind.

The next section I concerned myself with is the flowing, billowy skirt, up to the lower edge of the bellflower garland.
 
The process begins the same way, by cutting in the next line of demarcation, which is the bottom edge of the garland.
 
In order to achieve this cutting-in, I begin with my smallest round Dremel burr, as before.  This time, though, the particular shape of the bellflower lends itself well to stab-in cuts with my small, shallow sweep gouge:

This single tool is incredibly versatile for small work, such as this.  I can creep up to a line with a series of stabbing cuts, and the thumbnail edge allows me to roll into tight corners.  I also use this tool for both concave and convex modeling, with either paring cuts or a scraping action.  Next to the hooked BEEBE, this is the knife that I use the most.
 
So after cleaning around the bellflower, this is what we have:

I’ve smoothed over and slightly rounded over the surface of the skirt by paring and scraping with the Beebe, but really, I’ve only removed enough material to ease the transition into the line of demarcation, which is the bellflower.
 
In the next picture, you can see that I completed the skirt modeling, to the right, but I’ve marked in the reference lines on the left skirt, to remind me how the folds and hollows need to be cut in:

This process begins by using the smallest veiner I have to begin cutting-in the troughs of the hollows as far up as I can, before the tool interferes with the garland.  Here is my veiner:

If my small gouge is an 1/8”, across the sweep, this veiner cuts a 1/16” line.
 
Once I have the basic direction of the trough cut-in with the veiner, I use my smallest ball-burr to deepen the troughs, and extend them up to the garland.  These are just very light, controlled passes in the Dremel, on the lowest setting, until you are satisfied with the depth and overall shape of the trough.  Oddly, I find this near-finish use of the Dremel much more difficult to control than using knives.
 
The next to last step is to smooth the transition from trough into fold by using the gouge to scrape smooth micro-facets until you have a smooth natural-looking fold.  I also like to use the edge of the BEEBE knife to take skewed, paring scrapes to further deepen the trough and smooth into the folds - especially near the garland, where the tip of the BEEBE can ride right along the line of demarcation.
 
As Druxey noted, this final finishing of the modeling is best achieved in a raking light, so that you can best gauge the depth of your modeling and the smoothness of your transitions.
 
The final step, on this particular carving exercise, was to undercut the hem of the skirt, just beneath the largest folds, and to both sides of the tail.  This is achieved quite easily by scraping the tip of the BEEBE into the highest portion of the raised-fold edge.  You won’t have to work this very deep or hard, in order to achieve the desired effect.

When the carvings are complete, I’ll use a stiff-bristle toothbrush to break away any remaining fuzzies.
 
The next section to tackle will be the upper torso and arms, followed by the garland, and finishing with the head, neck and wings - hardest for last.
 
As always, thanks for looking in!

@druxey
@davec
Hi, 
thanks for the positive feedback, and also all the others for the LIKES.
Slowly I work my way up the shrouds of the main mast with the ratlines. 

Today I want to give some details about the ratlines. Often pictures show more than words can describe.
I hope that it is the same in this case. Enjoy the pictures:




 

thanks for your appreciation!
Meanwhile, I started to open the gunboats
 

Thank you Mark and Mark.
 
 
Recently I tried 2 new micromotors from Foredom.
The main differences are the rpm and the torque. The portable is light, turns at 30000 rpm and has little torque. It is easy to stop it if you push too hard. The small ones (Foredom and Geswein)are execllent for carving.
The second one turns up to 50000 rpm, very useful for metal and has much more torque. I also have a flex shaft from Foredom but I did not use it for many years. In comparison, flexshaft are harder to handle and you do not have as much control like you have with micromotors.

Hello,
the current status for the installation of ratlines is as follows:

I almost forgot the futtock staves and the catharpins. These should have been mounted before the ratlines.


I am currently preparing the components for this.

 

Hello,
the end of the ratlines have an eye splice, but in simplified form.
The following pictures show how it works.
The end is inserted twice through the strands:


 

I have fitted the rope Jacob's ladders for access to the "crow's nests". I have positioned them so that they would not foul the running rigging . This was before ratlines appeared on the shrouds, at least in the Mediterranean.
 



Cheers
Dick

I've been agonising over the calcets at the top of the masts, which take the halyard. I'd followed a diagram which showed the calcet as having two sheaves, but try as I might, I couldn't get it to work properly.  Any arrangement I was able to come up with was always awkward and overcomplicated.
  
I thought this violates Occam's Razor - the principle that the simplest solution to a problem is usually the best. After looking at many contemporary pictures and also modern photos of lateeners (many of them dhows) I discovered that almost without exception (where it was shown) they certainly had blocks with multiple sheaves, but at the lower end of the halyard.
 
 
 
My thanks to Woodrat for his help and advice, which confirmed me in my decision to change the calcets to single-sheaves (which of course meant I had to make new ones!)
 
Also, based on archaeological finds (admittedly from several hundred years later), I changed the connection between the calcet and the mast, from a socket and tenon to a long scarph (known in French as a sifflet or whistle joint - probably because it resembles the angled cut at the top of a tin whistle).
 
I've attached the calcets to the masts with brass pins cut short and filed down. In due course I'll paint them black to resemble iron.

And I discovered two more Byzantine single-sheaved blocks! I already had one single-sheaved block from archaeology, but these ones were in considerably better condition and were about double the length.  From a 7th-8th century wreck, but so similar to later ones that I'll be using this design in the dromon. The two blocks are identical in design, with a slight difference in length. Here's my reproduction at 1:50 scale of the larger one - yet another opportunity to use my gigantic oversized matchstick.

It seems to be a standard feature of Byzantine (and mediaeval Mediterranean) blocks that they didn't have strops around the block to connect them to the rigging, but a hole through the block.

 
 
Steven