tarbrush

The start of my build log...always a very exciting moment for a model builder!!
 
I am assuming most of you are somewhat familiar with the Ketch Rigged English Sloop Speedwell - 1752.   David Antscherl and Greg Herbert have produced a wonderful series of books for model builders on how to build a great model of her.   Not only can you build one as a POF model,  but as a POB and lift model as well.
 
Why would I choose this as my subject.  Those of you that know me,  I have always selected a subject that was unique at the time.  Never been done!!!  The Syren, The Winnie, The Cheerful etc.  I chose this subject for several reasons actually, knowing full well that this would become a commercial laser cut kit like my other Syren projects.
 
First- I never really wanted to build a POF model.  I prefer the look of a fully planked hull myself.  But the craftsman side of me won out as I was looking for a challenge beyond just another POB project.  I can build those and sometimes it feels like I am just going through the formulaic motions with each of them.   This would certainly be a design and engineering challenge as much as a builder challenge.
 


Second-  I am always increasingly frustrated and disappointed to regularly see pirated kits come out almost monthly as of late.  Mostly all the rage are those POF kits from China. 
 
A coincidence??  That almost all of them released are also subjects of Ancre, Seawatch, or Anatomy of the Ship Books.  I think not.
 
You may have noticed the latest pirated kit produced from one of David Antscherl's designs, the Hayling Hoy is now making its rounds.  None of the parts fit as is typical and the instructions render this kit almost unbuildable....again very typical.  Just check out the build logs of pirated Hayling kit from China on other forums.  Its a complete disaster and a waste of money.  Literally unbuildable but they are still selling them to unsuspecting builders.
 
So I reached out to David and Greg and asked them if I could develop the Speedwell before a really bad pirated version is released (and one is actually on the way-surprised?)  They agreed and are as excited as I am about it.  I just dont want to see a crappy unbuildable version of Speedwell being sold to builders.   Hopefully they will wait until this one is released.  Maybe I should do one of Hayling as well. LOL.
 
My goal...to design a kit based on the books where the parts actually do fit.   One that would encourage POF building for folks who want to give it a try.   To also write a set of English instructions that are in depth and easy to understand.  In short, to make a legitimate kit of from a Seawatch book under license and permission from the author with the authors help and guidance.  Will this stop folks from building the knock-off version when it comes out.....probably not.  But at least you will now have a choice.  The pirated version of Speedwell is currently almost ready and being done by the same company who pirated Hayling.   Coincidence again??  I think not.
 
Also and I dont mean to digress....but a pirated version of yet another Seawatch book....Ed Tosti's Naiad Frigate is also set for release very soon as well.   Again a coincidence...I think Not.    Why dont you ever see a subject from these guys that wasnt first a Seawatch Book or Ancre book?   Honest inquiring minds want to know.
 
Anyway
 
There will be differences between my Speedwell of course.  I will be modifying it for simplicity so  you dont have to be a master builder with every expensive tool in shop.   The design concept for this POF model will be unique and allow a novice and intermediate builder to tackle it.   It will also be at 3/8" scale which should also make it much easier to build.  
 
Here is the preliminary framing plan which will show just how different it will be.
 

It will be planked from the wales upward so there is no reason to over complicate the project with bent frames....If you compared this to David's plan it is completely different.  BUT make no mistake.   Yes the folks who pirate these POF projects will claim its different and therefore original. 
 
BUT make no mistake.  This is a 100% copy of Davids work.   All of this is directly lifted from his plans and only modified to make production and building a bit easier.   But it is a copy...literally traced.  But the difference here is I give full credit to David and will be paying for the privilege to use his knowledge and expertise and hard work and years of research on this subject.  
 
I do hope you will swing over a chair and watch this new Speedwell project come to life.  A huge thank you to David and to Greg who will no doubt think I am pain in biscuit by the time this is completed.
 
speedwellsheetone.pdf
 
speedwellsheettwo.pdf
 
speedwellsheetthree.pdf
 
SpeedChapOneMono.pdf

SpeedChapTwoMono.pdf
 
 
 

Thanks for likes and comments! Always appreaciated 🙂 
So, filler work continued in stern area. Since I hadn't drafted this part mostly due to lazyness all pieces were cut oversized.
First a copule of pictures for scale...


I especially like the second picture and the little fella with the torch. What also can be seen in the second picture is how even and nice all the filler pieces are.
Mine, not so much as we'll see shortly.
In the next picture starboard side is more or less roughly to shape. Port, as can be seen, is not started.

When both sides where filled and after some initial sanding with 60 and 100 grit paper I drew a bunch of waterlines to see the shape more clearly.
Looks okay from this angle...

Not so much from this angle (see below) 😮 
As the lines reveal the lady needs to loose some pounds from her rear end. (Do Not, I repeat, do Not say that to the Admiral!)
The lines should in a perfect world describe a nice arch and lines from both sides should meet att no more than 90 degrees to the centreline. Problematic areas are highlighted.

After even more sanding things are starting to look okay.

A bit wavy close to the centreline, but I put that in the bag for hard to reach areas when drawing the waterline.
Right side up and things are looking even better (yup, I'm biased).

 

Now over to the rabbet and planking can soon be started. Yay!
Pax et bonum, friends!
 

Thanks guys for all the well-wishes ❤
A couple more progress photos today.
The shapes are a bit crude, but nothing some sanding can't fix. "Oh, glorius sanding" 




 

Hi  and thanks for the coments and likes 😊
it going slowly at this time, but i did make the flag and union jack, the flags hs 48 stars and is from timeperiod 1912-1959
it was copy on tissue paper (cred to Chuck ) on how to do it.
so here is the result ☺
 
svein erik
 

thanks for the coments and likes😊
am allmost there..... lol
i do need some bits and peaces, paint, rope coils, signs etc and i need to print some flags
the base needs to be finished , but over all am soon finished... yeeeeh😊
sorry about the mess in the shop,  when the model is finished i wil move it an take new finished photos☺
 
svein-erik

Hi Everyone, thank you for dropping by and for the Likes. They are very appreciated. Before starting the deck and furnishings I decided to make a new rudder out of AYCedar using the kit supplied rudder as a template. The pieces of 1/8” x 1/8” strip have holes drilled in them for the pintle pins so that the pintles are integrated into the rudder. The pintle straps will be applied later. The gudgeon straps are made from left over laser board.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The iron bar pinned to the stem is blackened 3/32” brass strip.
 

 
Now it’s time to make the hatches. The frames are made from 3/16” x 1/16” cherry. I’m roughly using examples found in Chapelle’s book American Fishing Schooners. A piece of 1/16” basswood sheet is used to support the covers and it is supported by 1/8” x 1/8” strips. The covers are glued together, squared, and a line is scored down the center to suggest that there are two halves.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The strap that holds down the covers is supposed to have a hinged hasp at one end. Both ends fit over a staple. The bar should be slotted where it fits over the staple but I just drilled two holes so that the staple would hold the bar in place. No glue is used to hold down the bar. The iron bars that run down both sides of the frame are made from Cedar strip sanded down to .5mm . They look thicker but that’s as thin as I could get it. Did not want to try and glue brass strip along there.
 

 



 

 

 

 
Then a bit more planking was applied to the deck and sanded around the cockpit.
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
The cabin and more deck planking will be next. See you next time 
 

After completing my first build, the cap code cat boat from bluejacket I've decided to build the maine lobster boat for a gift to my father in law.  Dont mind my messy work bench! Im working on converting it to a more appropriate work station

The spider band for belaying pins created some difficulty. Forming the rings and stem out of 1 piece of wire didn't work out well. The 2nd attempt was kinda complicated, but it worked.
 

 

 

 
It required an 8mm thick piece of steel to act as a heat sink to protect the rest of the assembly whilst soldering the rings.
 

 
A comparison between the 2 methods.
 

 
Cleaned up, blacked and in place with the rest of the mizzen "iron work".
 

 

 
I'm now officially fed up with my trusty butane torch, controlling the flame/heat is too difficult for this work. There were moments when it appeared everything was about to melt. I'm starting to look at a Smith Little Torch or one of the cheaper copies.
 
Grant.
 

Further progress. Not sure of the correct terminology for the top two pieces, they support the gooseneck for the spanker boom. The other piece is the lower mizzen spider band.

Wefalk,
thanks for the suggestion. I've previously tried a home made chisel (from the shaft of a broken 0.5mm drill bit), I found it awkward to use effectively. The diamond  coated blade sounds like a good idea. None of my jewellers files are small enough. The tapered tips are ok, but they become too large too quickly for comfortable use. Any suggestions on where to purchase the diamond blades? I've found some blades for a jewellers fret saw, though they appear to be a rare item.
The block tumbler has worked out quite well. I based the design on Grant's (gjdale) version, with a few variations. There were a couple of flanged bearings (left over from a rope walk built several years ago) that came in handy. 65mm sewer pipe and some glue on caps provided the body and ends. The caps are not permanently fixed, the pipe ends were sanded down to allow the caps to 'slip fit'. I've used 3 grades of sandpaper: 180, 240 and 320. The drill powered set up with miscellaneous bits of packing and a vice for support will be temporary.....eventually. I'd rather be modelling.
 
 


 

Thanks for your comment Tony.
I've decided to make a batch of blocks, there is a need for some for the bunt lines under the tops. There is still a reasonable supply of the lemon wood to work with. All the preliminary work was done with the mill, the rest is just old school: file, sand, cut and sand. The end result is not too shabby.
One of the "problems" with this hobby are the rabbit holes. Just when I get on a roll, I start to wonder if an additional piece of machinery might help. Work then stops to accommodate the new fixation.......in this case, a block tumbler.
 

Thanks for your interest Tony.
I've planked the tops, and made an ''iron'' rim for the mizzen top.
The rim was awkward, I brazed one end whilst flat on a fire proof sheet, then set the rim in a vice with wire to hold everything in place to complete the joint. Ended up having to re solder the opposite end to obtain the extra length to get it to fit the top. It's a good thing there was a bit spare to allow the adjustment.
I've ditched the phone and replaced it with my trusty, old 8MP Canon, so no more weird uploads.
Grant.

Lower masts are ready for next step.   I'm hoping the pictures load right way up this time.......which they did. It seems which side of the camera is up makes all the difference.
 
Grant.
 

No worries, Eric.  I believe we all know that real life has priority.  When you're ready, we'll be here.

I have a model that sat for 10 years before finishing it. Not to worry.
 
Nic

After all these years continuing the build ..
 

Thank you JJ and Glenn and for all the likes.
 
I have started work on the deck. I just have the tricky hooked joints still to do. They did not come out too well on my Winchelsea but I am better prepared this time, I think.
 
I have purchased the Syren mini-kits available for the Cheerful and started putting those together. Nothing is yet fixed to the deck. Therein lies a conundrum: Is it simpler, and likely to lead to a better outcome, if all the deck fittings aare left off so the deck can be more easily sanded or should the fittings be fixed to the false deck before planking? I went for the former first because I intend to treenail the deck (in the approved Chuck fashion with a small drill, very sharp pencil and wood filler) and I want real ease of access to sand away the filler and secondly because, as I discovered with Winchelsea I am nothing like as good as I should be (and I hope I am better at it now than I was) at cutting planks to length. The downside is you necessarily omit that very fine detail where the grating coamings are rounded above deck level and left square at deck level so it is a balancing exercise.
 
Here are some photographs.
 
This is the super Syren windlass kit. I cannot bring myself to cover it in paint.







The seats of ease are not yet finished of course and will be painted in due course.
 

Have a good day everyone.
Fred
 
 

Thank you Chuck, Glenn and JJ and for the likes.
 
Progress here is slow not least because I've had cataract surgery on both eyes. Its a miracle operation: I can see long distances with sparkling clarity and detail and without specs for the first time in 50 plus years. But reading and model work is all to pot. Over the counter reading specs are OK for reading but not adequate for model work. I have to wait a few weeks for everything to settle down before getting some prescription readers - and then with any luck I shall be up and running again.
 
In the meantime I've done those little shaped pieces at  the bow, The margin planks (too wide, I think, but I'm hoping the waterway, cannons and deck clutter will disguise that) with scarf joints ( practice required!), the companionway housing ( a bit dollshouse-ish possibly. I'm still thinking about it) and some preparation for the deck planking. I was very unhappy with my deck planking of the Winnie - all down I can see now to a lack of preparation. There is no substitute in this hobby for experience and I don't have much. But I'm learning!
 





 





There is a gentle bend in the deck planking though it does not really show in the pictures. The planking was cut in Imperial sizes by Hobbymill EU. In metric the planks I will use are a smidge over 5mm and I will sand them down to 3.5mm at bow and stern remaining 5mm at the centre. I wonder about the central planks remining un-sanded -5mm straight through as Chuck shows them and as, no doubt, is authentic. I think I prefer all of them gently curved. 
 
My deck furniture bits and pieces are winging their way across the pond from Syren as I write so I'll put those together and have a play around before deciding.
 
At the moment the only finish on the planking is sanding sealer. At some point I will have a jolly good clean up and apply a permanent finish Matt varnish I guess.
 
All the best everyone
Fred
 
 
 
 
 
 

I laid down the cloth and resin in two coats after sanding inbetween. I also received the graphic for the transome the other day. "Miss Chloe in navy blue". Unlike the original, the predominant color of mine will be white. 

There is little information available for the rigging of these two sails.
So i look and compare, and the way that occurs most is used.

The main topsail halyard.


The braces

Overview

Thanks for following, comments and likes.

I happen to be reading the paper this morning and came across an article about the very style of boat the Miss Chloe is, and there are a few of them actually being used to offer boat rides on a lake not so near me. There are a few differences to these compared to Miss Chloe, like the rounded stern/transom and the canopy extending all they way up to the cabin. I'm going to have to take a little trip over there to take a ride on one of them. I actually like the rounded transom better than the squared one on the Chloe, but we'll see how she turns out, I can always make another one with a round transom.  

I got the hull all planked, skim coated with bondo. Next will be laying down the fiber glass cloth and resin when humidity lays down a bit. I also started working on the cabin structure.

Next steps was to make the guns
At first I changed the brass into bronze by painting it with acrylic (old gold mixed with black)

 
And than the wooden parts.
Milling the side panels of the gun carriadges.

Side panels and other parts after cutting by band saw and sanding
 

First attempt

Making the  axis and the weels
 



The first finished gun

A board
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
At
At last for today I had to  modell 4 swivel guns for the stern. There were 4 guns from an older project. So it was easy to me to modify they into swivels.
 



 
Cheerio!
 
Hartmut

Thanks, guys for your  kind compliments!
 
Next steps was to make the keel, the stemson and the bob stay piece of the head. I have made the pieces from mahogany, planed with the thickness planer.
 




Next I make and bring in the walls.
 

 

 

 

 
Cheers Hartmut
 
 

Aye, Mates,
 
many thanks for your kind interest in my new project.
 
I am building the hull in an unusual way. Instead of a first planking I glue in plywood between the bulkheads. Than I had to sand it into its shape. Here are some pics from this way.







This construction results in a very stable hull. Next. I'll plan the material for the wales, the keel and the deck beams. I still have a few pieces of mahagony that will work well for that. The planks I will make from pear.That can look pretty good together.
 
Cheers  Angarvater