robdurant

Interesting. I'm using ZAZ1719 for the framing and ZAZ1749 for the profile of Bristol... this is the plan with the decoration on it. It hadn't occurred to me that the framing might have changed so drastically between Portland and Bristol. Without evidence to the contrary I would feel inclined to follow the framing plans for Portland as closely as possible, I think?

I mentioned earlier in this thread that the framing plan for Portland didn't quite match up with the profile plan for Bristol, and @scrubbyj427 and @allanyed and @AnobiumPunctatum, you've been kind enough to continue the discussion prompting me to think about this whole task in ways I hadn't before. My horizons are broadening!
 
Looking back at the plans, and doing some measuring (the CAD I'm drawing is at 1:1 scale for the original) I now realise that the door is only 3" out of place, so what seemed like a gaping difference when I looked at it, is pretty close all things considered.  Here's a picture of a small section of ZAZ1749 (Bristol profile) and ZAZ1719 (Portland framing plan) overlaid to show the difference. The green square marks the quartergallery door as per the Bristol profile.

Perhaps something like this? 1mm half round styrene. Only .1mm over scale... a brush with some sandpaper, or drawing it through a .9mm gap would make that difference.. and being HIPS you could warm it and it may go round the corners? You could laser cut a wood jig to shape it on inside and outside while gluing, perhaps? I used crayon as a release layer to stop the plastic glue sticking the melted plastic to the wood.
 
https://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/1-0mm-half-round-evergreen-240-p11588/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA9ourBhAVEiwA3L5RFqOc_8N-nCzcjOCucuzaV3MVNrqOCPTypKI8P3kbAJKTe01YS3INgBoC7GMQAvD_BwE

Ten more days have given me time to mix up some blue paint for the hull - I've used whole bottles of vallejo paint so that I can re-make this colour if I need to... it's four bottles of blue, four bottles of blue-green, and one bottle of light green-blue. 
 

I've did a test on the planking (which is left over from Barque Stefano), to make sure that Admiralty (Caldercraft) Matt Varnish didn't make the sharpie I used to add caulking, run... it didn't. I also painted the insides of the bulwarks light green-blue, and the top of the superstructure will be this colour too.
 
The planking was stuck in place with carpenter's glue. Once varnished, it should be fine for fairweather sailing. The edging of the planking was achieved by adding a margin plank, which was glued just inside of the bulwark posts. I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out. Here are some pictures of progress so far. (There are still a few lines of planking to be added on each side to finish the job.)


 
 

In my opinion the framing design changed in 1775 - 1776. You will find similiary changes also in other classes, for example the Swan class sloops.
I think that Portland has the conventional framing pattern with double and single frames. For Bristol I don't know but had the same thoughts as you.

Ten more days have given me time to mix up some blue paint for the hull - I've used whole bottles of vallejo paint so that I can re-make this colour if I need to... it's four bottles of blue, four bottles of blue-green, and one bottle of light green-blue. 
 

I've did a test on the planking (which is left over from Barque Stefano), to make sure that Admiralty (Caldercraft) Matt Varnish didn't make the sharpie I used to add caulking, run... it didn't. I also painted the insides of the bulwarks light green-blue, and the top of the superstructure will be this colour too.
 
The planking was stuck in place with carpenter's glue. Once varnished, it should be fine for fairweather sailing. The edging of the planking was achieved by adding a margin plank, which was glued just inside of the bulwark posts. I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out. Here are some pictures of progress so far. (There are still a few lines of planking to be added on each side to finish the job.)


 
 

I've reached a milestone - the hull is closed up. I've also cut out the beams where the deck opening is to give space to access the motor, rudder servo, battery, etc... 
 
 



Thanks for looking in, for the likes, and the encouragement
 
Rob

Thank you for the words of encouragement, @Ian_Grant. Yes, the prop-shaft and prop are from George Sitek - I've always been really impressed with their product, and that's no less true on this occasion.
 
The rudder servo tray is constructed, with the servo mounted and fitted... I've also installed the motor on its own tray and mounted that between two bulkheads. Everything's screwed in place so that it can be removed as necessary through the access hatch above. The receiver will go next to the rudder servo. A bit of brass wire has been used as the linkage between the rudder post and the rudder servo. This is bent so that it doesn't hit the bulkheads as it passes forward. Altogether, I'm quite please. Here are some pictures of progress so far.
 
I'm really glad I decided to do all of this before planking the other side closed... it's made life WAY easier

Thanks for the likes
 
Planking continues... Port side is now planked, and starboard side well underway...  I'll leave the serious sanding until I've got the whole hull planked.



Also, the right parts for the universal coupling, along with a new motor arrived... 
 

Thanks for that, I really want to make it from the same wood, as it's all varnished.
Also the profile is triangular  with a small lip, not half round.
I doubt I will et the small lip at 1/40 but yeah adamant its got to be wood
It can be seen here in this image.

Ten more days have given me time to mix up some blue paint for the hull - I've used whole bottles of vallejo paint so that I can re-make this colour if I need to... it's four bottles of blue, four bottles of blue-green, and one bottle of light green-blue. 
 

I've did a test on the planking (which is left over from Barque Stefano), to make sure that Admiralty (Caldercraft) Matt Varnish didn't make the sharpie I used to add caulking, run... it didn't. I also painted the insides of the bulwarks light green-blue, and the top of the superstructure will be this colour too.
 
The planking was stuck in place with carpenter's glue. Once varnished, it should be fine for fairweather sailing. The edging of the planking was achieved by adding a margin plank, which was glued just inside of the bulwark posts. I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out. Here are some pictures of progress so far. (There are still a few lines of planking to be added on each side to finish the job.)


 
 

Just some shots of the last CAD jobs to do.
The Monkey poop interior for those who wish to build it out, maybe even have a removable roof, all to scale.

And lastly the deckhouse panelling, this is going to be a challenge, it's made in 3 layers of thin cherry, a 2mm base then the .8mm second layer and then the .6 third layer, the mouldings will be a real challenge as the main ones are just  .9mm square and have a profile. If possible I would like some advice on this if anyone has any, I know abut scrapping profiles but due to the tight bends I am thinking of using strips and bending them into place with steam and water...thoughts? anyone who has done this sort of work?.
Surprisingly no plans have these details as built on ship, but rather just approximations, however this is done from tracing photos and measurements and correcting perspective distortion.
Below are the colours and  codes for the types of panels in arrangement but yeah the light blue mouldings are .9mm wide and 1.1mm deep and triangular in section

Here is how it will go together (not complete).
The Dark brown is the 2mm base, then the send layer in light blue, and finally the grey outer layer all built as per the real thing. 
But as I said if anyone has some awesome tricks for making very small profiled mouldings please share.
For the purpose of scale this deckhouse wall is 43mm high

 

Ten more days have given me time to mix up some blue paint for the hull - I've used whole bottles of vallejo paint so that I can re-make this colour if I need to... it's four bottles of blue, four bottles of blue-green, and one bottle of light green-blue. 
 

I've did a test on the planking (which is left over from Barque Stefano), to make sure that Admiralty (Caldercraft) Matt Varnish didn't make the sharpie I used to add caulking, run... it didn't. I also painted the insides of the bulwarks light green-blue, and the top of the superstructure will be this colour too.
 
The planking was stuck in place with carpenter's glue. Once varnished, it should be fine for fairweather sailing. The edging of the planking was achieved by adding a margin plank, which was glued just inside of the bulwark posts. I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out. Here are some pictures of progress so far. (There are still a few lines of planking to be added on each side to finish the job.)


 
 

Ten more days have given me time to mix up some blue paint for the hull - I've used whole bottles of vallejo paint so that I can re-make this colour if I need to... it's four bottles of blue, four bottles of blue-green, and one bottle of light green-blue. 
 

I've did a test on the planking (which is left over from Barque Stefano), to make sure that Admiralty (Caldercraft) Matt Varnish didn't make the sharpie I used to add caulking, run... it didn't. I also painted the insides of the bulwarks light green-blue, and the top of the superstructure will be this colour too.
 
The planking was stuck in place with carpenter's glue. Once varnished, it should be fine for fairweather sailing. The edging of the planking was achieved by adding a margin plank, which was glued just inside of the bulwark posts. I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out. Here are some pictures of progress so far. (There are still a few lines of planking to be added on each side to finish the job.)


 
 

There are several differences between the class, as I’ve been designing Portland, the 1st in class, I’ve found several differences between her and Bristol, of course Bristol being the 2nd in class. Length of poop deck and cabins being one major change. Portland shows higher Taft rail which may also contribute to the higher frames you mention.
The framing drawing is dated 1776 and although it does mention Europa, Jupiter, Hannibal and Adamant, I believe this is possibly an as built drawing or slight revision as it’s labeled as a copy that was sent out for those listed ships to be built. It did overlay well on my profile drawing of Portland dated 1766.

Ten more days have given me time to mix up some blue paint for the hull - I've used whole bottles of vallejo paint so that I can re-make this colour if I need to... it's four bottles of blue, four bottles of blue-green, and one bottle of light green-blue. 
 

I've did a test on the planking (which is left over from Barque Stefano), to make sure that Admiralty (Caldercraft) Matt Varnish didn't make the sharpie I used to add caulking, run... it didn't. I also painted the insides of the bulwarks light green-blue, and the top of the superstructure will be this colour too.
 
The planking was stuck in place with carpenter's glue. Once varnished, it should be fine for fairweather sailing. The edging of the planking was achieved by adding a margin plank, which was glued just inside of the bulwark posts. I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out. Here are some pictures of progress so far. (There are still a few lines of planking to be added on each side to finish the job.)


 
 

Time to revisit this thread... I haven't stalled, but I have been spending lots of time thinking, reading and revisiting how I've approached this. I've gone right back to scratch with all I've learned, and redone the drawings from the plans, and I'm much more happy with the results (shown below)... they're all works in progress, but reconciling the profile, half-breadth and body plan, suggest that the fairing process is going well so far. Plotting the buttock lines went perfectly with no changes required, which was very satisfying indeed. I'm indebted to Wayne Kempson for his article on this site (Drafting Ship Plans in CAD) - it's been a massive help.
 
So - initial lines... There are decks, the two wales, buttock lines, and the rabbet line at the stern... As the plan stands, I'm now hoping to build this as a fully framed model without any planking, except possible the wales, much like a model (I think of Centurion?) I saw in Chatham a few weeks ago...  (Apologies for the quality of the photo)
 

 

Beginnings of a frame plan... (this will need redoing, but it gives some idea of the flow of the frames)

And the body plan... 
 

My next step is to confirm the heights of the caprails...

Yes, I also own a copy. I've been working from that for the framing plan. It pretty much lays neatly over the Bristol side profile plan, although the caprail height towards the stern is considerably different (raised higher in Bristol), and the transom posts are at a slightly different height, even though the quartergalleries are at the same height... Considering the complexity of these drawings, they really are magnificent achievements in themselves.
 
Thank you for the prompt, though. I also received this in the post today, which I'm expecting to be very helpful... It was £4.50 on AbeBooks, and only £2.50 postage, so an absolute no-brainer!

Much happy reading is in store!
 
Rob

So the first of the 3D pieces arrived today, coal scuttles, hatches, propellers, anchors, doors 

My day off today has given me a good shot at getting some things done on Nordkap. I've opened up the scuttles (?) and built and installed the recesses on either side of the bow for the anchors. Each hole was started with a drill, and then opened up carefully with a craft knife and then a file. Once glued in place, the anchor recesses had any gaps filled with a wood, superglued in place, and then sanded flush.


I've also installed the cap rails... These were temporarily pinned while they glued, as otherwise they don't sit flat on the tops of the bulwarks.



 
Built and installed (temporarily) the rudder... before I glued the two wooden parts together, I bevelled the front edges to create a v-shape that the rudder post could sit in. Once glued together, the rudder was sanded to make it narrower at the rear - I always think rudders look slightly strange when they're chunky at the back... it just looks wrong to me. Then it was time to go into town a get a pasty for lunch!
 


I also made some progress with the bow weather deck and stern superstructure (this is easier once the cap rails are on, as the height of the rear area of the superstructure is determined by the cap rail (to ensure there's no gap).
 


 


 
Finally, it was all cleaned up, and another coat of the Eze-kote resin was painted on to seal all of the exposed wood on the outside of the hull (and in the scuppers). I need to do some testing to see whether I can put Eze-kote over the deck planking, or whether I'm better off with just matt varnish...
 
Thanks for following along.
 
Rob
 
 

So... here's the progress.
 
I did a lot of reading up, and the whole question of whether to use fibreglass along with the resin, or whether the resin itself is enough seems to be very much a Marmite one... I've opted to try without the glass. Many have said they've had success this way, and it certainly seems to have done the job from all I can tell. Time will prove me right or wrong I am grateful to you, @Ian_Grant for your advice, and you will absolutely have the rightn to say "I told you so" if this heads south as a result of my decision 🤣
 
Lots of prep, four coats of Eze-kote, with very light sanding in between, and the hull has taken on a lovely sheen - re-installing the prop and rudder shaft with some grease, and it was time for a test in the bath. It's years since I've done this, and I thought I'd ask my son to give me a hand... Here are the results. There was a brief false alarm as we mistook some bobbles of carpenter's glue for water coming in, but thankfully it was all a false alarm. She's dry as a bone inside.
 
 
Here are some photos of her.
 


In addition, I've begun marking out the deck for planking. The strips of planking provided are pretty rough, but thankfully I have a shedload of tanganyika left over from my HMS Diana, Caldercraft kit, that I'll substitute. Before I do that, I need to cut out the bulkwark openings (the anchor port, and the scuppers), and then paint the edges of the deck that will remain unplanked. Onwards and upwards! 

As always, thanks for looking in, and for the likes, advice and encouragement.
 
Rob
 

My day off today has given me a good shot at getting some things done on Nordkap. I've opened up the scuttles (?) and built and installed the recesses on either side of the bow for the anchors. Each hole was started with a drill, and then opened up carefully with a craft knife and then a file. Once glued in place, the anchor recesses had any gaps filled with a wood, superglued in place, and then sanded flush.


I've also installed the cap rails... These were temporarily pinned while they glued, as otherwise they don't sit flat on the tops of the bulwarks.



 
Built and installed (temporarily) the rudder... before I glued the two wooden parts together, I bevelled the front edges to create a v-shape that the rudder post could sit in. Once glued together, the rudder was sanded to make it narrower at the rear - I always think rudders look slightly strange when they're chunky at the back... it just looks wrong to me. Then it was time to go into town a get a pasty for lunch!
 


I also made some progress with the bow weather deck and stern superstructure (this is easier once the cap rails are on, as the height of the rear area of the superstructure is determined by the cap rail (to ensure there's no gap).
 


 


 
Finally, it was all cleaned up, and another coat of the Eze-kote resin was painted on to seal all of the exposed wood on the outside of the hull (and in the scuppers). I need to do some testing to see whether I can put Eze-kote over the deck planking, or whether I'm better off with just matt varnish...
 
Thanks for following along.
 
Rob
 
 

So... here's the progress.
 
I did a lot of reading up, and the whole question of whether to use fibreglass along with the resin, or whether the resin itself is enough seems to be very much a Marmite one... I've opted to try without the glass. Many have said they've had success this way, and it certainly seems to have done the job from all I can tell. Time will prove me right or wrong I am grateful to you, @Ian_Grant for your advice, and you will absolutely have the rightn to say "I told you so" if this heads south as a result of my decision 🤣
 
Lots of prep, four coats of Eze-kote, with very light sanding in between, and the hull has taken on a lovely sheen - re-installing the prop and rudder shaft with some grease, and it was time for a test in the bath. It's years since I've done this, and I thought I'd ask my son to give me a hand... Here are the results. There was a brief false alarm as we mistook some bobbles of carpenter's glue for water coming in, but thankfully it was all a false alarm. She's dry as a bone inside.
 
 
Here are some photos of her.
 


In addition, I've begun marking out the deck for planking. The strips of planking provided are pretty rough, but thankfully I have a shedload of tanganyika left over from my HMS Diana, Caldercraft kit, that I'll substitute. Before I do that, I need to cut out the bulkwark openings (the anchor port, and the scuppers), and then paint the edges of the deck that will remain unplanked. Onwards and upwards! 

As always, thanks for looking in, and for the likes, advice and encouragement.
 
Rob
 

My day off today has given me a good shot at getting some things done on Nordkap. I've opened up the scuttles (?) and built and installed the recesses on either side of the bow for the anchors. Each hole was started with a drill, and then opened up carefully with a craft knife and then a file. Once glued in place, the anchor recesses had any gaps filled with a wood, superglued in place, and then sanded flush.


I've also installed the cap rails... These were temporarily pinned while they glued, as otherwise they don't sit flat on the tops of the bulwarks.



 
Built and installed (temporarily) the rudder... before I glued the two wooden parts together, I bevelled the front edges to create a v-shape that the rudder post could sit in. Once glued together, the rudder was sanded to make it narrower at the rear - I always think rudders look slightly strange when they're chunky at the back... it just looks wrong to me. Then it was time to go into town a get a pasty for lunch!
 


I also made some progress with the bow weather deck and stern superstructure (this is easier once the cap rails are on, as the height of the rear area of the superstructure is determined by the cap rail (to ensure there's no gap).
 


 


 
Finally, it was all cleaned up, and another coat of the Eze-kote resin was painted on to seal all of the exposed wood on the outside of the hull (and in the scuppers). I need to do some testing to see whether I can put Eze-kote over the deck planking, or whether I'm better off with just matt varnish...
 
Thanks for following along.
 
Rob
 
 

Hi everyone,
 
Three weeks later, and I've had another good day to work on Stefano. I finally made and died some more .5mm rope for the standing rigging, which allowed me to complete the backstays. I've also got some more work done on the yards, adding eyelets, blocks, and bending the forecourse to the main yard on the foremast. Again, this has caused the model to take up significantly more space on my desk, but it feels like we're on the home straight now as we move towards running rigging. I counted, and I think I have 8 sails left to bend to yards / stunsail yards. There's a lot of tidying up to do with rope ends fixed with watered down PVA (a big advantage of making your own rope with DMC cordonnet thread, as it's natural, not synthetic), and trimmed to make them neat.
 
Thank you so much to all of you who've hung in there through what has proved to be a lengthy build
 
Here are a few shots of how she stands right now.  




Happy building
 
Rob