rvchima

Thank you for all the clarifications, and especially for the link to the RMG collections site. I have browsed RMG many times and never stumbled on the best part! And now I'll have to buy several of Brian Lavery's books, even if it's too late for the Sphinx.

I will admit to complete ignorance on this.
Who is Lavery?
If I search for Sphinx on https://www.rmg.co.uk  there are zero results. Is there a separate site for research?

An Almost Brilliant Method for Coppering
In the last few months since I ordered my model this product has popped up on eBay. It is standard copper foil for stained glass with plate patterns for model ships stamped on it. It is available in 1:48, 1:75, and 1:96 scale, 500 pieces to a roll. There are now over 30 vendors, all in China, selling what appears to be identical products. I ordered two rolls at 1:75 scale at the end of November. They were delivered about three weeks later. I just used them up on the Sphinx, ran a bit short, and just ordered another roll. I also ordered a second roll at 1:48 scale to cap the keel and rudder post.

The plates were nicely spaced for the first few feet, and I thought I could cover entire rows without cutting the strips.  Then the spacing became irregular, with small gaps between the plates. I decided that I could live with that. Then very long gaps started to appear in the roll, and I had to cut individual plates.

It's easy to cut the foil with scissors but tedious to remove the plastic backing. A much easier technique is to cut a length of foil about 18" long, attach the end to the hull, and tear the foil against a razor blade held after the next plate. Then repeat. I coppered the rest of the hull in this manner, basically with individual plates.

I wondered if I had been cheated of plates, so when I opened the second roll I measured the length and counted the plates - 32 feet, 509 plates as advertised. The 1:75 plates are 18 mm x 6 mm, almost exactly 1 cm^2. They stick very well and look good. I do regret leaving the blank gaps near the keel. Live and learn.
 
The product would be perfect if the plates were spaced without gaps so that you could lay down entire rows without cutting (at least until the curvature got too great.) It would be nice if some US vendors carried it.
 
I have about an inch left to cover on each side, plus the keel, the rudder, and a band around the water line. I will weather the copper with vinegar and salt when it is all applied.

 

Just to make sure that I understand, around 1782 Sphinx had 6 12-pounder carronades added to her quarterdeck, and possibly 2 more to the forecastle, in addition to the 20 9-pounder carriage guns on the gun deck. Is that correct?

Side Trim Completed
The upper sides of the hull are mostly blue with splashes of red. The gun ports are red inside. This all required a lot of masking. I started to mask off each gun port with 4 strips of tape but realized that I could put a large piece over each port and cut out the centers.

After painting, a number of extremely delicate trim strips were attached. I stained them all with Watco natural oil stain on the top only. The bow pieces were soaked in water and pre-bent. The manual says to glue them with PVA and lots of clamps. I did exactly that, but as soon as I removed the clamps half of the pieces fell right off. It's tempting to blame the oil stain, but I was very careful to leave the wood bare on both sides of the joint. Maybe the PVA is soaking in and drying too quickly? Anyway, I cleaned off the dried PVA and reglued everything with CA. It's not going anywhere now.


 


Did I mention that I finished the quarter galleries a few days ago? There are a lot of pieces in there that required a lot of trial and error fitting.


Just checking that everything fits.

Side Trim Completed
The upper sides of the hull are mostly blue with splashes of red. The gun ports are red inside. This all required a lot of masking. I started to mask off each gun port with 4 strips of tape but realized that I could put a large piece over each port and cut out the centers.

After painting, a number of extremely delicate trim strips were attached. I stained them all with Watco natural oil stain on the top only. The bow pieces were soaked in water and pre-bent. The manual says to glue them with PVA and lots of clamps. I did exactly that, but as soon as I removed the clamps half of the pieces fell right off. It's tempting to blame the oil stain, but I was very careful to leave the wood bare on both sides of the joint. Maybe the PVA is soaking in and drying too quickly? Anyway, I cleaned off the dried PVA and reglued everything with CA. It's not going anywhere now.


 


Did I mention that I finished the quarter galleries a few days ago? There are a lot of pieces in there that required a lot of trial and error fitting.


Just checking that everything fits.

Side Trim Completed
The upper sides of the hull are mostly blue with splashes of red. The gun ports are red inside. This all required a lot of masking. I started to mask off each gun port with 4 strips of tape but realized that I could put a large piece over each port and cut out the centers.

After painting, a number of extremely delicate trim strips were attached. I stained them all with Watco natural oil stain on the top only. The bow pieces were soaked in water and pre-bent. The manual says to glue them with PVA and lots of clamps. I did exactly that, but as soon as I removed the clamps half of the pieces fell right off. It's tempting to blame the oil stain, but I was very careful to leave the wood bare on both sides of the joint. Maybe the PVA is soaking in and drying too quickly? Anyway, I cleaned off the dried PVA and reglued everything with CA. It's not going anywhere now.


 


Did I mention that I finished the quarter galleries a few days ago? There are a lot of pieces in there that required a lot of trial and error fitting.


Just checking that everything fits.

Side Trim Completed
The upper sides of the hull are mostly blue with splashes of red. The gun ports are red inside. This all required a lot of masking. I started to mask off each gun port with 4 strips of tape but realized that I could put a large piece over each port and cut out the centers.

After painting, a number of extremely delicate trim strips were attached. I stained them all with Watco natural oil stain on the top only. The bow pieces were soaked in water and pre-bent. The manual says to glue them with PVA and lots of clamps. I did exactly that, but as soon as I removed the clamps half of the pieces fell right off. It's tempting to blame the oil stain, but I was very careful to leave the wood bare on both sides of the joint. Maybe the PVA is soaking in and drying too quickly? Anyway, I cleaned off the dried PVA and reglued everything with CA. It's not going anywhere now.


 


Did I mention that I finished the quarter galleries a few days ago? There are a lot of pieces in there that required a lot of trial and error fitting.


Just checking that everything fits.

Side Trim Completed
The upper sides of the hull are mostly blue with splashes of red. The gun ports are red inside. This all required a lot of masking. I started to mask off each gun port with 4 strips of tape but realized that I could put a large piece over each port and cut out the centers.

After painting, a number of extremely delicate trim strips were attached. I stained them all with Watco natural oil stain on the top only. The bow pieces were soaked in water and pre-bent. The manual says to glue them with PVA and lots of clamps. I did exactly that, but as soon as I removed the clamps half of the pieces fell right off. It's tempting to blame the oil stain, but I was very careful to leave the wood bare on both sides of the joint. Maybe the PVA is soaking in and drying too quickly? Anyway, I cleaned off the dried PVA and reglued everything with CA. It's not going anywhere now.


 


Did I mention that I finished the quarter galleries a few days ago? There are a lot of pieces in there that required a lot of trial and error fitting.


Just checking that everything fits.

Post Sixty-nine
 
Stern Facia and Upper Counter
Major items of photo etch come into use next, the Window frames and decorative columns of the stern and Quarter Galleries.
These require priming and painting, but before that they were given a good scrub with washing up liquid using an old electric toothbrush head.
 
The painting will take place with the parts still attached to the fret, both for ease of handling and security.
For priming I am using VMS Metal prep4k. This dries clear on the surface which is a bonus as I am using light colours.
 
I considered whether to paint the window frames white as per the kit or a shade of Yellow ochre.
Most contemporary models don’t show white window frames, and I think they may be a little stark for the effect I’m after.
An ochrery shade it will be.

2417(2)
The frames are painted with Vallejo Ochre Brown (127)
It was also used on the other decorations highlighted with Yellow Ochre(121)
 
The stern of Sphinx is highly decorated both in kit and contemporary painting.
Artistic license no doubt, not reflected on the actual ship, but as I’m giving a nod to those 18th century models, I am happy to include it, but gold paint will not feature on the palette.

2416
The acetate windows (or lights) are fettled to fit without removing the protective cover, and are then fixed into place.
Gluing in clear acetate  always  makes me nervous. I wear surgical gloves and use plastic tweezers for handling.
I ensure there is a snug fit of the panes into the recess and use spots of Vallejo Matt Acrylic varnish applied with the point of a toothpick.

2432
Even so the window ‘glass’ always seem to to have a degree of smearing, which I remove using  a moistened electronics wipe folded over a rounded stick
 
The window frames follow; these really are finely crafted with beautifully scaled window bars.
Careful handling is required once removed from the fret, any trace of the fret nubs is filed away, and I don’t handle the pieces with bare hands.

2438(2)
Again tiny spots of Vallejo varnish are applied to the frame edges only and the piece is pressed into place.

2443
I hope it is sufficient to hold, and I suspect Capt. Grim is thinking the same.

2458
Finally in this section the stern column panel is secured in place.
I found this quite tricky to do getting all the columns in the right position before the ca sets.

2455(2)
Checking out the fit of the resin Tafferel, I will have more thought on this in my next post.
 
I have reduced the use of red on the stern. The Cove was traditionally painted red on the sterns of British ships but I painted the secondary arches containing the stylised Eagles with a blue ground as per the Marshall painting.
I’m quite pleased and relieved that the blue paint tones in nicely with the ground of the printed stern decoration.
 
Work on the stern continues.
 
B.E.
24/01/22
 

OK, plans, manual and box label all now fully complete for Sherbourne. Was up all night completing manual, and then the box label this morning.
 
Gonna have a couple of weeks off now..

I have just completed the final job for Adder, the box label. Now onto Sherbourne.
 
Also now have final prices:
Adder - VM/15 - £246
Sherbourne - VM/16 - £149 (For first run of kits)
 

An Almost Brilliant Method for Coppering
In the last few months since I ordered my model this product has popped up on eBay. It is standard copper foil for stained glass with plate patterns for model ships stamped on it. It is available in 1:48, 1:75, and 1:96 scale, 500 pieces to a roll. There are now over 30 vendors, all in China, selling what appears to be identical products. I ordered two rolls at 1:75 scale at the end of November. They were delivered about three weeks later. I just used them up on the Sphinx, ran a bit short, and just ordered another roll. I also ordered a second roll at 1:48 scale to cap the keel and rudder post.

The plates were nicely spaced for the first few feet, and I thought I could cover entire rows without cutting the strips.  Then the spacing became irregular, with small gaps between the plates. I decided that I could live with that. Then very long gaps started to appear in the roll, and I had to cut individual plates.

It's easy to cut the foil with scissors but tedious to remove the plastic backing. A much easier technique is to cut a length of foil about 18" long, attach the end to the hull, and tear the foil against a razor blade held after the next plate. Then repeat. I coppered the rest of the hull in this manner, basically with individual plates.

I wondered if I had been cheated of plates, so when I opened the second roll I measured the length and counted the plates - 32 feet, 509 plates as advertised. The 1:75 plates are 18 mm x 6 mm, almost exactly 1 cm^2. They stick very well and look good. I do regret leaving the blank gaps near the keel. Live and learn.
 
The product would be perfect if the plates were spaced without gaps so that you could lay down entire rows without cutting (at least until the curvature got too great.) It would be nice if some US vendors carried it.
 
I have about an inch left to cover on each side, plus the keel, the rudder, and a band around the water line. I will weather the copper with vinegar and salt when it is all applied.

 

Thank you for all the clarifications, and especially for the link to the RMG collections site. I have browsed RMG many times and never stumbled on the best part! And now I'll have to buy several of Brian Lavery's books, even if it's too late for the Sphinx.

An Almost Brilliant Method for Coppering
In the last few months since I ordered my model this product has popped up on eBay. It is standard copper foil for stained glass with plate patterns for model ships stamped on it. It is available in 1:48, 1:75, and 1:96 scale, 500 pieces to a roll. There are now over 30 vendors, all in China, selling what appears to be identical products. I ordered two rolls at 1:75 scale at the end of November. They were delivered about three weeks later. I just used them up on the Sphinx, ran a bit short, and just ordered another roll. I also ordered a second roll at 1:48 scale to cap the keel and rudder post.

The plates were nicely spaced for the first few feet, and I thought I could cover entire rows without cutting the strips.  Then the spacing became irregular, with small gaps between the plates. I decided that I could live with that. Then very long gaps started to appear in the roll, and I had to cut individual plates.

It's easy to cut the foil with scissors but tedious to remove the plastic backing. A much easier technique is to cut a length of foil about 18" long, attach the end to the hull, and tear the foil against a razor blade held after the next plate. Then repeat. I coppered the rest of the hull in this manner, basically with individual plates.

I wondered if I had been cheated of plates, so when I opened the second roll I measured the length and counted the plates - 32 feet, 509 plates as advertised. The 1:75 plates are 18 mm x 6 mm, almost exactly 1 cm^2. They stick very well and look good. I do regret leaving the blank gaps near the keel. Live and learn.
 
The product would be perfect if the plates were spaced without gaps so that you could lay down entire rows without cutting (at least until the curvature got too great.) It would be nice if some US vendors carried it.
 
I have about an inch left to cover on each side, plus the keel, the rudder, and a band around the water line. I will weather the copper with vinegar and salt when it is all applied.

 

Beautiful work Walter, and all in a month's time.

An Almost Brilliant Method for Coppering
In the last few months since I ordered my model this product has popped up on eBay. It is standard copper foil for stained glass with plate patterns for model ships stamped on it. It is available in 1:48, 1:75, and 1:96 scale, 500 pieces to a roll. There are now over 30 vendors, all in China, selling what appears to be identical products. I ordered two rolls at 1:75 scale at the end of November. They were delivered about three weeks later. I just used them up on the Sphinx, ran a bit short, and just ordered another roll. I also ordered a second roll at 1:48 scale to cap the keel and rudder post.

The plates were nicely spaced for the first few feet, and I thought I could cover entire rows without cutting the strips.  Then the spacing became irregular, with small gaps between the plates. I decided that I could live with that. Then very long gaps started to appear in the roll, and I had to cut individual plates.

It's easy to cut the foil with scissors but tedious to remove the plastic backing. A much easier technique is to cut a length of foil about 18" long, attach the end to the hull, and tear the foil against a razor blade held after the next plate. Then repeat. I coppered the rest of the hull in this manner, basically with individual plates.

I wondered if I had been cheated of plates, so when I opened the second roll I measured the length and counted the plates - 32 feet, 509 plates as advertised. The 1:75 plates are 18 mm x 6 mm, almost exactly 1 cm^2. They stick very well and look good. I do regret leaving the blank gaps near the keel. Live and learn.
 
The product would be perfect if the plates were spaced without gaps so that you could lay down entire rows without cutting (at least until the curvature got too great.) It would be nice if some US vendors carried it.
 
I have about an inch left to cover on each side, plus the keel, the rudder, and a band around the water line. I will weather the copper with vinegar and salt when it is all applied.

 

I will admit to complete ignorance on this.
Who is Lavery?
If I search for Sphinx on https://www.rmg.co.uk  there are zero results. Is there a separate site for research?

An Almost Brilliant Method for Coppering
In the last few months since I ordered my model this product has popped up on eBay. It is standard copper foil for stained glass with plate patterns for model ships stamped on it. It is available in 1:48, 1:75, and 1:96 scale, 500 pieces to a roll. There are now over 30 vendors, all in China, selling what appears to be identical products. I ordered two rolls at 1:75 scale at the end of November. They were delivered about three weeks later. I just used them up on the Sphinx, ran a bit short, and just ordered another roll. I also ordered a second roll at 1:48 scale to cap the keel and rudder post.

The plates were nicely spaced for the first few feet, and I thought I could cover entire rows without cutting the strips.  Then the spacing became irregular, with small gaps between the plates. I decided that I could live with that. Then very long gaps started to appear in the roll, and I had to cut individual plates.

It's easy to cut the foil with scissors but tedious to remove the plastic backing. A much easier technique is to cut a length of foil about 18" long, attach the end to the hull, and tear the foil against a razor blade held after the next plate. Then repeat. I coppered the rest of the hull in this manner, basically with individual plates.

I wondered if I had been cheated of plates, so when I opened the second roll I measured the length and counted the plates - 32 feet, 509 plates as advertised. The 1:75 plates are 18 mm x 6 mm, almost exactly 1 cm^2. They stick very well and look good. I do regret leaving the blank gaps near the keel. Live and learn.
 
The product would be perfect if the plates were spaced without gaps so that you could lay down entire rows without cutting (at least until the curvature got too great.) It would be nice if some US vendors carried it.
 
I have about an inch left to cover on each side, plus the keel, the rudder, and a band around the water line. I will weather the copper with vinegar and salt when it is all applied.

 

Log #71: Raising the Boom
Next up is the boom.
 
I rigged the block for the boom topping lift in much the same way the other blocks seized to the mast head were done. The main difference is I used a 3.5mm block instead of the 3mm ones. I had wanted to use a 4mm one, but as I have previously discussed, when I went to buy them they were no longer available and so I had to settle for 3.5mm.

I also have been experimenting a bunch with the fake splices and I am slowly getting better at them, though at the same time they are slowly getting closer to a real splice.

According to steel the topping lift should be 4.5 inches cir, this works out to .57mm, but as I didn’t have any 0.6mm rope I instead used 0.5mm.

Counteracting the topping lift we have the sheet tackle. For this I used 0.45mm line copying BE’s arrangement.

For the sheet line I used 0.35mm line. Steel seems to indicate this should be 3 in cir which works out to 0.38 so close enough. I am still having a bit of trouble with the different names between the alert book, steel and the kit instructions, but as there are so many mistakes at this point I am mostly just making sure it makes logical sense and roughly corresponds to steel / the alert book.

And here is the current state of her. Now that all these counteracting lines are in place I need to tie them all off to get rid of the clutter. You can also see I am still working on the tackle for the boom topping lift as the block is spliced onto the line, but is waiting for the glue to dry before I cut off the ends.

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by for the encouragement, she is really starting to look like a sailing ship now.

Major milestone! Finished second planking 🙂 and quite happy with it tbh.
It's smooth, lovely curves, no big gaps anywhere. I haven't used any filler so far and wondering if I'll need to, we'll see.
I'm also happy with the red color I chose for the inside bulwarks, it's a period pigment 😉 Carmine red from AK interactive. I know what you're saying that carmine wasn't available to the British at that time, but Mr. King, the ship's builder was heavily involved with smuggling (that's a fact) so any color is justifiable 😉
 

First planking done, well apart from the emergency repair on the deadwood. (Note to self, easy with the Dremel)
But overall quite pleased. Some sanding to be done still, not sure I need filler... We'll see.
The lines are just gorgeous, it's difficult to see on a photo, you gotta trust me on that 😉
 

Thanks. 
It doesn't have a brand name on it, it's just a heavily overpriced lump of aluminium that gets hot 😉

Making some steady progress.
The instructions say to soak the plywood pieces for the stern counter and side bulwark patterns, shape them on the hull and let them dry there. I tried, but it somehow didn't work for me the way I imagined. So I fired up my old bending iron to shaped the pieces with that. I'm also using it now for the first planking.
Trying to do it as good as possible, as an exercise for the second planking and I know that thinking that mistakes can be corrected in later stages is maybe not a brilliant idea.
 
 

Nautical Question
At the bow the keel has a ring of holes shaped like a U. What is this?