ianmajor

Alexandru, your pictures tell a very interesting story. Excellent work.

Alexandru,
 
Your work is beautiful - as ever.

Mike,
 
Some of the references that I used are in my 4th posting in the Unicorn log.
 
I hope you start a log on your Unicorn soon. I would be interested in seeing some photos of the transom, gun carriage and other components before construction starts. 
 
The only paint on my ship is around the metal/plastic moldings so I can't comment on paint schemes. However if you look at Peter Visser's Unicorn in the gallery (link further back up this thread) you will see an example of a model that has been painted. I am sure if you do start a log Peter will look in and offer advice (he is very helpful and supportive).
 
There was another Unicorn build log which was lost with MSW 1.0 from which I have a few photos. I would like to credit the builder but unfortunately I don't know his name or if he is still a member. His log showed construction of the hull. (If you recognize the build as yours, perhaps we can prevail upon you to publish other photos of the build.    ) This example was painted around the deck areas but mainly used the natural colour of the supplied woods externally.
 
Here are some photos taken from that log.
 

 
 
 

Daniel,
 
Absolutely fascinating. I can see plenty of jobs there that risked trapped fingers and limbs. 
 
BTW I am a great believer in understanding how things actually work when making models. In my view it leads to better modeling - which your fantastic models clearly show.  

.........but first we need a kettle to boil the water - and here it is, ready to go.
 

 
It is a scale 12 inches high and is based on a kettle we used to use on our Scout camps. 
 
It was a straightforward, though fiddly, turning job. I started with 5mm diameter brass rod. Faced the end then turned a length down to 3mm. Using the top slide set over to taper the end using a left hand tool, I turned the lid and its knob (effect). Then reverting to the right hand tool I tapered the side. Finally I parted it off just over 3mm long.
 
To do the rest of the work I held it in the jaws of a wooden clothes peg, which was itself then held firmly in the vice. (The wood of the clothes peg molded to the taper, the vice gave the grip required). I then sawed a slot in the bottom of the kettle body. The spout was made from 0.5mm wire soldered in to this slot.
 
The spout was bent to shape but not shortened yet. (If the part pings off the bench, it is a lot easier to find).The handle was made from a loop of 0.3mm wire which was soldered to each side of the lid. The spout was then cut to length.
 
It needs cleaning, there is a small amount of filling (a small gap left by the slot) then blackening.
 
OK,OK - I know - I am now completely bonkers.          
 
 
To finish off this session, and to indicate the scale of the stove here is a picture with it posed next to my spectacles.
 

Mike,
 
This is a very nice kit - very tempting.
 
One thing you might consider when doing your own improvements - the flags supplied are from the wrong period. Your photos shows the Union Flags with red diagonal lines. This is the form of the Union Flag after the Unification of Ireland (with the rest of the UK) in 1801 - the Parliamentary Act of Union passed in to law in 1800. The red diagonals are derived from the flag of St Patrick the patron saint of Ireland.

Mike,
 
I await developments with bated breath.
 
I think this is going to be a good read.

You have seen build logs for exceptional models on MSW - now for one from the opposite end of the skill spectrum!
 
Brief history of the model to date.
 
I have been working on this kit of the Unicorn on and off since 1975. It was probably one of the first sets produced since its diagrams are dated February 1974. The manufacturers “quantity surveyors” were obviously not up to speed evidenced by the shortfalls in some of the materials. For example, the kit supplies 32 cannon but included only 12 wheels for them, the material for planking the decks only covered two thirds of the upper deck let alone trying to cover the fore and quarter decks.
 
The instructions were interesting. They were supplied in 3 different languages (OK), but there were three copies of the parts list all in Italian.
 
From the logs that I have seen of later builds of this kit no mention was made of these issues so I assume it was an early life
problem.
 
The kit problems compounded by living long periods in hotels in a variety of countries as part of my work made progress very slow – in fact it ground to a halt. For some years the model became the base from which miniature Daleks could wage war or what ever it was my children were doing with it. Throughout these Inter Galactic Wars the ship demonstrated that she was a tough old bird sustaining very little damage.
On my retirement I decided that I was going to produce some 7mm scale locomotives for each of my four children – you know the sort of thing – something to remember the old fool by. However my daughter basically said that I could keep my locomotives, she would much prefer “that old boat”.
 
So construction restarted. I was in the process of fitting the deck furniture and preparing the spars ready for rigging when I
decided to try to get an answer to a problem that had been confusing me for some time. This related to the rack that sits astride the jib (sorry guys – I did know its name from a previous posting – but I forgot what it was). In the kit diagram number 2 item 142 it is shown with 11 holes. The rigging schedule indicates 10 holes required. The plastic casting supplied has 9 holes. Doh!
 
In searching for information I found build logs for two excellent renditions of this model which introduced me to MSW. Sadly I
don’t know the names of the builders. I do hope their logs can be regenerated. I have copies of some of their pictures which I use for reference.
 
What I found raised more questions in my mind than answers. I decided to maintain my “Lurker” status for a while whilst researching the job in hand and also learning the MSW etiquette. When I started I didn’t know my futtocks from my rat lines. Now at least I know that futtocks is not a naughty word.
      
I have attached (I hope) two photographs of the model as is. 
 
The first is a view of the starboard side of the hull.
 
The other Unicorn models had their hulls painted. Mine is "au naturelle" relying on the colours of the different woods supplied in the kit. The newer additions, all in beech, stand out having not been exposed to the elements. An example is the steps down the side of the hull which stick out like a sore thumb - compounded by their crude outline.
 
The lower part of the hull is planked in mahogany. Over time this had faded from its original reddish brown to almost white so I used walnut wood stain to return its colour. I also stained the keel at the same time. Appart from that the other woods are untouched. So you can get an idea of what an unpainted model may look like after 40 years.
 
I had painted the frames of the plastic windows gold but this needs refreshing. The decorative castings around the rear of the ship were far too big so I filed them down to their current size. They still overhang to the rear. There is some sign of corrosion around the castings but they should clean up OK before they are painted. I am debating with myself whether to paint the detail of this castings in reds and blues or to stick with all gold to match the rest of the "au naturelle" look.
 
You may notice the poor old figurehead has lost the end of its horn. This was damaged before I received the kit. I will at a later stage amputate the rest and form a new brass one to be screwed in.  
 
The second view is looking down on to the deck. There is still evidence of long term dust around the cannon which I need to address. (Any views on how you keep a ship clean that is not in a glass case?)

The two previous Unicorn build logs differed in their rigging. One using a modified schedule from the kit the other used the
method given in the book “Rigging Period Ship Models” by Lennarth Petersson. I have decided to go with schedule based on the latter. I have now bought the book. It is a fascinating book in its own right. It documents the rigging of a contemporaneous model of the frigate Melampus. Strictly Melampus is a much later frigate than Unicorn so I should base my rigging plans on information given in “The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War, 1625-1860” by James Lees but I I am afraid I balked at the £145 asking price on Amazon.
The current position is that I need additional wood to make fittings for the proposed rigging. That is on order. My workship is being revamped so more work in ernest on the model should begin in a couple weeks starting with deck rings as per the Winchelsea plans.  
In my next posting I will pull together the information that I have gleaned for Unicorn including links to reference data. The
historical information supplied in the kit can most kindly be described as fanciful! I will also offer my views on the accuracy of
the kit plus any points around my model that may be of interest.
 
Ian M.

Mike,
 
Nice progress.
 
I am intrigued by the Duplo bricks. Does this mean your children are helping with the build? Or have they outgrown them and moved on to the smaller variety allowing you to play with them when the ship build gets frustrating?! 

Tom,
 
Gaeton is absolutely right. Milling bits are more complex than drill bits. There are different designs for different functions. They should be used wherever possible. However, I have successfully used ground down broken drill bits to mill very small slots. I have cut slots in brass and wood this way. With the brass I chain drill the slit then use the broken bit (same size) to mill the holes in to a slot. (Purists will be rolling their eyes now!  )  The trick was to keep the length of unsupported bit as short as possible and to take it very, very slowly, taking very small cuts on each pass. For wood I keep the speed low to avoid burning.
 
When milling you should always use a collet to ensure the mill bit is running concentrically. Initially I used an ordinary power drill type three jaw chuck and broke a couple of milling bits (expensive). Since using collets (sadly also expensive) I have not had any bit problems. 
 
Another thing to avoid with micro milling machines is "Climb milling". The small machines are less rigid than their larger brothers, so if you try climb milling (particularly on metal) the milling bit can grab (rather than cut) the work resulting in, at best, a mangled work piece or possibly a broken mill bit or even damage to the machine itself. Before I had the miller I did my milling on a micro lathe using a vertical slide. I had spent some time milling a piece and was approaching the end - got sloppy - and did my final pass using climb milling. It grabbed. It broke one cutting edge off the bit, left my beautiful work looking look at had been attacked with a cold chisel. The lurching machine also frightened the life out of me.
 
Below are two diagrams that show the difference between conventional (first diagram) and climb milling.
 
Conventional milling.
 

 
Climb milling
 

 
With regard to training - personally I have had none (which is probably obvious to those who have been formally trained) but am a cheerful amateur. There are plenty of small, cheap soft cover books available that give introductions to milling. On You Tube there are loads of "how to" clips on the subject (I recently looked at a series by Tubal Cain on making a single cylinder steam engine from basic materials).
 
If you decide to get a milling machine then:
 
Step 1 - read, understand and observe the safety instructions.
Step 2 - read the basic operating instructions supplied with the machine.
Step 3 - clamp a block of pine wood on the machine and fit a milling bit and try things out - as long as you have done step 1 and 2 carefully, and don't wind the bit in to the miller's table you won't do any harm.
Step 4 - enjoy the experience.
 
I find it a very satisfying experience to watch the miller in action (what a sad existence this man must live - I hear you say!).     
 
 
    
 
  
 
 

Mike,
 
Nice progress.
 
I am intrigued by the Duplo bricks. Does this mean your children are helping with the build? Or have they outgrown them and moved on to the smaller variety allowing you to play with them when the ship build gets frustrating?! 

Mike,
 
It is great that you created this as a separate log. You have tempted me to try furled sails.   
 
Thanks.

Chris,
 
Great stuff. I am impressed by the way you handle the small parts. Whenever I have made card models I always seemed to get the detail parts stuck to my fingers or tools rather than the model.
 
I have used Crystal Clear successfully. With practice I found you can apply it from the outside of the widow frame without affecting the surrounding area. Useful for repairing damaged windows on nearly or completed models.
 
This came from the model aircraft guys who I believe originally used nothing more exciting than diluted PVA glue for glazing small windows.  

Absolutely stunning. I can only dream of producing carvings like that.

E.J.  I have been building the Corel Unicorn. The illustration of it on the box and the illustration on your box show a family likeness. The hull of my model uses the same or similar types of kit wood. I made the hull and varnished it 40 years ago and the colour has matured. The light wood around the gun ports has gone darker and the darker woods have lightened. Personally I like the resultant unpainted effect.  To get the gun port surround colour shown on the box illustration I suspect it was painted.
 
I note you are intending to scratch build replacements for the deck furniture. I agree that is a good idea. I have just "improved" a Corel cannon and managed to get a reasonable result modifying the original parts - doesn't take long. Doing this would make nice little stand alone projects to break up the monotony of planking.  I found most bits of furniture, such as the pump, were best replaced totally.
 
Good luck with your build.

Paul,  that looks a very fine piece of work that you have done.
 
You have identified Gill Middleton's log which I regard as one of the finest on this forum. If you have not already done so I would suggest having a look at Dafi's Victory <here>  . It is based on a Heller plastic kit which may not immediately seem relevant to your wooden build but he has done a lot of research into the detail of Victory's construction which he documents here. He also creates various tableaux with figures to show how the ship was operated. If nothing else it is a fascinating read.
 
Good luck with the rest of your build.

Toly,
 
Thanks for showing how you did the inlays. That is really beautiful.
 
Ian M.

Magnificent.

I am making steady (slow you may say) progress on the open rails. I have fitted the 8 swivel posts around the quarter deck.     For the rail I had bought some 5x2mm beech strip which would make it the same width as the cap. Looking at BE's <Pegasus>  and Dan Vadas' <Vulture>  I realised the rail should actually be narrower. So I ripped it down to 3x2mm.   Since the gap twixt cap and rail would not be as wide as Pegasus/Vulture I looked at other models for inspiration on supports and for the shape of the ends. The nearest was a contemporary model of a 24 gun sloop at the NMM which I am working towards. Below is an extract from a MNN photo the full version can be seen <here> .     I cut mortices in the rail to accommodate the swivel posts and had a trial fitting. To spport the rail at the rear I have fitted a length of 2x2mm beech stained black on top of the cap.     Looking at the rear of the rail in the photo I think I could attempt a tafferail which would have to sit on top of the quarter rails. If I go this route it will make it easier to mount a stern lantern.   The question then comes up about the shape of the leading end of the rail.   I have been following thibaultron's log on "going From a 2D Drawing to a 3D Printed Part Tutorial" <here> which inspired me to have a crack at using Sketchup to look at the rail options.   After a couple of evenings playing around I came up with the following two 3D plans. The first is in the style of the 1740 24 gun sloop, the second is in the style of a reduced version of the Pegasus/Vulture rail.   I think I am biased towards the first one. Any views on this? My Sketchup rendition is a bit ropey but not too bad for a first effort.  
  My wife watching me using Sketchup for the first time reminded me that I had sworn to turn my back on technology during retirement. As a result she says my epitaph will include the phrase "A Failed Luddite". I gave me such a severe attack of the giggles that any further work that evening was abandoned.

Nenad, Mark, Piet, BE and Pat thanks for the kind words and all the likes.   I have been out and about recently. One journey took me to Preston (UK). The docks there have mainly lost their original industrial purpose and have now been redeveloped as a leisure marina. We usually go to the Marina Cafe/Chandler's. In there we are surrounded by boating goodies whilst having a pot of tea. Hanging from the ceiling is a model of a ship that is 7ft long......     It was given to the Cafe by the builder's daughter. According to an attached plate it is called the Elizabeth after that same daughter rather than an actual ship. It is supposed to be based on "Nelson's Victory" but the rigging suggests an earlier ship. It is very well made but has a few oddities such as the channels are too low down. Worth a look at if you are in the area.  ​

I have finished the fixed caps on both sides of the quarter deck and am preparing the open rails. Some of the main supports are the swivel gun posts so I started with these.
  For barrels I used Caldercraft 1:64 scale 0.5 pounders. At 14mm long they are about 2mm too long but I thought they would be OK.   They are nicely turned but where they had been parted were a little rough so some tidying with a fine file was needed.   At the rear of the barrel is a hole. To represent the handle I used 0.7mm nickle silver wire. For the knob on the end I cut 0.5mm lengths of 1.25mm brass tube which I threaded on to the wire and fixed with a blob of silver solder. A little tidying with the file produced the final ball shape. The wire was trimmed so that when fitted it protruded by 8mm from the rear of the barrel. The trunnions were more 0.7mm wire. All these items were silver soldered together, the handle shaped and blackened.     To make the "U" shaped supports I produced a filing jig similar to the one I used to make the chain links for the pump <here>    . In this case I produced one "link" per gun with holes 6mm appart. I silver soldered a length of 0.7mm nickle silver wire to the middle of these then curved the links in to a "U" shape. These were blackened and fitted to the barrels.   The trunnions on the barrels had been left slightly long so with the supports in place I filed them to length. This produces small burrs which lock the supports in place.     The following photo shows the first barrel mounted on a temporary piece of wood. Some of the blacking had not taken very well so I cleaned it up and repeated the process to better effect.     To get the construction of the post and cap right I produced a rough diagram:     I am using 3 x 3 mm beech for the posts which will be shaped in to a "squared D section". The caps will be brass with the same cross section. The caps will have a circular hole in the centre to fit on the end of the post.   The caps were made from 6mm diameter brass rod. I first mounted it in the lathe and drilled the centre 2.5mm. This was then moved to the dividing head on the mill to machine it to the "D" shape. The faces were at 0, 45, 90, 135, 180 and 270 degrees.   This was returned to the lathe and each cap was turned off 2mm long.   Each cap was then soft soldered on to a sheet of 0.3mm nickle silver to close the top of the cap. A 0.7mm hole was then drilled in the middle of this to take the cannon. The cap was blackened.   The cannon was then fitted to the cap and retained in place by glueing a short length of 1.25mm tube as a collar on the end of the support rod avoiding gluing it to the cap.   The top of the beech post was drilled 1.3mm to clear this collar.     The cannon and cap were temporarily fitted to the top of the post. When permenantly fixed it will swing from side to side and up and down - no doubt someone will try it in future!       Now to finish off the other 11 swivels.  

John and Mike, thanks for your replies.
 
John looking at your suggestion I could push the "Option 1" front forward. I was looking to keep the distance between the front support and the rear scroll to be the same as the distance between the two scrolls. As you point out that is not the case with the NMM 6th rate model so pushing it forward should do the trick.
 
An interesting thing about the NMM model is that it is not the usual Admiralty type. The NMM notes say that it is ballasted with a lead keel suggesting that it is a sailing model.
 
I look forward to seeing how you get on with your fresh supply of pear wood. I love the smell of wood freshly cut from fruit trees. Takes me back to my Father's plum orchard.
 
Looking back at the swivel posts I thought you might be interested in how I "turned" the circular top part. I made a rose bit to do this. They are not hard to produce, only needing a drill press, bits, files and some mild still rod to make.
 
Below are some photos of how I did it. The first four are of an experimental one for use in a holder but show the basic process.
 
I had a 2cm piece of 10mm diameter mild steel to hand for this. I filed the ends square then drilled deeply the centre of the end. The diameter of this hole determines the diameter of (in this case) the end of the post.
 

 
I then drilled the centre of the other end with a larger bit most of the way through leaving a couple of mm's length of the smaller diameter hole. This is to stop the work binding in the hole particularly if using a rose bit to produce dowling.
 

 
I then used a fine blade saw to cut a shallow cross on the small diameter hole end. The middle of the cross being the centre of the hole. This was to act as a guide to filing.
 
Next I used a permanent marker to blue the end. Then with the rod in the vice with the small hole upper most and I filed the ends with the file at the angle shown in the next photo. The file was kept to the right of each saw cut.
 

 
I continued filing each face until the blueing between the file mark and the next saw cut just disappears. The next photo shows two faces approaching this point.
 

 
When all four faces have been treated this way you are ready to go. Here is the one I used on the posts.
 

 
The way I used it was first to cut around the post, using a knife, at the point where the round part of the post meets the square part - this acts as a stop cut. I bevelled the end of the post very slightly then simply used the rose bit like a pencil sharpener. (Cue gasps of horror from the guys who do things properly). 
 
Actually, when I get around to it I am going to make a holder for my rose bits to go on to the tool post of my lathe. I will be able to make fairly long lengths of brass and wood doweling in a variety of sizes.
 
Rose bits have been around a very long time. Another example of their use in MSW can found in <Garward's Montanes log> . There he makes the end of the cannon axles by putting the rose bit in the lathe chuck and mounting the axle in the tool post.
 
Unless disaster strikes I should have a set of 26 rail supports machined up by tomorrow - that or a pile of splinters.

Toly,
 
Beautiful work. That reminds me - I always refused to play my Russian friends at chess because I never won a game.   Mind you - one of them was a Chess Grand Master!
 
Ian M.

Hmm, not sure if I would say it's heresy or not, but no names will be mentioned 
 
I'm not sure how old the kit is.  The Keith Julier handbook where he builds the model is dated 1995, so it's been around since then.  I don't blame Euromodel though - it seems like the kit is spot on as to very detailed and accurate plans.  It's just that the name and origin of the ship has been passed down through history due to what might have been a mistake of Admiral Paris in transferring the name of the incorrect ship to the plans 150 years ago.  Given the extensive plans (there are 18 sheets for the Le Renommee!) and Euromodel's reputation, I don't think that they took any short cuts with this kit.
 
It's been interesting using Google translate to translate some of the Russian forums where this ship is discussed.  They correctly noted that the stern of the ship is represented in zu Mondfeld's "Historic Ship Models" on page 108, where it is labeled as the stern of the Swedish privateer frigate from 1760 named the Jupiter.  I can't find any info on a Swedish ship of that name though, I'll have to reach out to perhaps European sources.
 
Sorry for the diversion.  Now back to your Unicorn 

Hello Mike,
 
Sorry for not replying earlier - have been it bit distracted of late!
 
The deck layout of the Venus does look similar to the Coral Unicorn offering. I always felt the kit deck was from a later period and not very British(?).
 
How old is the Renommee kit? The Coral Unicorn is 1974 (pre Web days). I think when kits were designed in those days they were done as cheaply as possible and with the view that most people building the kit would not have easy access to the source plans/information so "would not know the difference". Or is that heresy?