robdurant

Hi all,
 
Thanks for the likes. Progress is slow as the ratlines are tied. With a bit of help from my brother I've completed the ratlines on the mizzen and main masts. I've been using a printed out sheet with lines the right spacing apart (I make it 6mm), which has made it much less tiring on the eyes than when I did Pickle.
 

 

 
Happy building
 
Rob

Thanks Per,
 
I had a look through your builds - just beautiful I think my dad would have approved. It's certainly making Caroline look more like I know he would have intended.
 
Thanks to everyone who looks and 'likes'!
 
I've made some progress since my last post. The mainmast shrouds are complete, I've added various stays, and begun the topmast shrouds. Along with the topmast shrouds come the futtock shrouds... Not my favourite thing I have to say, but perhaps I'll like them more as I get more used to doing them.
 
Anyway - here are some pictures of the shrouds and ratlines going on...
 
The foretopmast shrouds and ratlines
 

 
Maintopmast shrouds, futtock shrouds and ratlines being put on... I find it hard to stop the deadeyes twisting when I'm rigging it up... don't know whether anyone has any wisdom or cunning suggestions to avoid that? It looks worse on this shot, because the masking tape's pulling them even further out of line, but it illustrates the problem...
 

 
I've also added shrouds to the foretopgallant - something I see in the "Period Model Shipbuilding' book, but don't see on the model plans - They seemed to be a realistic addition, so here they are..
 

 
It's all progress, as long as I can straighten up those deadeyes... a target for this evening, I think.
 
Finally, here's a picture of progress so far...
 

 
Thanks again for all the encouragement.
 
Happy building
 
Rob

Hi all,
 
I've started work on the foremast and foretop.
 

 

 

 
It's all dry-fitted at the moment, and the top has more detail to go on. I want to try and assemble the whole mast, dry-fitted before the mast is stepped.
 
More soon
 
Rob

Happy Monday!  I am now 130 hours into the Naiad. Not a lot of progress this week due to my building a fort in the backyard for my kids.  But in keeping with my Monday posting, here is the view of the stern transoms and filler pieces.  You will note that I have begun to carefully fair these sections.  At this point, I am just trying to keep things at a pre-finished state, recognizing that the final sand and buffing will come much later in the build.
 
I feel that I have reached a point in the build where I know it will be successful.  I say that cautiously, and what I am trying to say is that I can visualize the rest of the build as it should be.  The stern and bow sections were especially tricky and despite this not being my first scratch project, I was still unsure as to how things should go. 
 

In the final sanding, the foot of the cant frames will flow into the cut down of the beardning line for a scale 2".
 
 

Thanks Nils,
 
Yes, Pickle has been an excellent introduction for this significantly larger task. I don't think I would have had the confidence to make it this far otherwise.
 
Rob

Thanks Dimitris
 
A small update on the ship's launch. It's starting to come together a bit better now:
 
I ditched several ideas along the way here... The .5 x 3mm strip for the ribs is far too grainy to bend, and seemed to me to be too thick to look scale, so I used some veneer instead. I also decided to use ply from the pickle kit for the wales, as then I could cut and sand it to shape rather than trying to bend a 2mm strip (again, too thick?) against the widest dimension. By my reckoning the ribs end up about 6mm apart. I also ditched the former at the front and the "bench"? at the back as being way too thick. I've just planked the front with walnut, and I'll do the same at the back for the "bench".
 

 

 
 

 
The wales need a bit more sanding to make them more uniform, but otherwise I'm pleased with the progress so far. Next step, the "bench" at the back and then the 1x1mm strip and the brass decoration with the blue behind. Soon be onto the masts and spars
 
Has anyone turned the masts and spars for RYC on a Proxxon DB250 - I'm considering buying one to replace the mantua lathe I have (which really isn't man enough, and is dying slowly: not least, because the home-brew power supply I've been using has been providing too many volts to the motor - 14 instead of 12), but I'm wondering whether it's the best way to spend the money
 
Rob

Nice work Rob,
 
it was a good idea to start with "Pickle" , gain your experience and put the benifit into the "RC" model challenge like you did
Well done!
 
Nils

Thanks Per,
 
I had a look through your builds - just beautiful I think my dad would have approved. It's certainly making Caroline look more like I know he would have intended.
 
Thanks to everyone who looks and 'likes'!
 
I've made some progress since my last post. The mainmast shrouds are complete, I've added various stays, and begun the topmast shrouds. Along with the topmast shrouds come the futtock shrouds... Not my favourite thing I have to say, but perhaps I'll like them more as I get more used to doing them.
 
Anyway - here are some pictures of the shrouds and ratlines going on...
 
The foretopmast shrouds and ratlines
 

 
Maintopmast shrouds, futtock shrouds and ratlines being put on... I find it hard to stop the deadeyes twisting when I'm rigging it up... don't know whether anyone has any wisdom or cunning suggestions to avoid that? It looks worse on this shot, because the masking tape's pulling them even further out of line, but it illustrates the problem...
 

 
I've also added shrouds to the foretopgallant - something I see in the "Period Model Shipbuilding' book, but don't see on the model plans - They seemed to be a realistic addition, so here they are..
 

 
It's all progress, as long as I can straighten up those deadeyes... a target for this evening, I think.
 
Finally, here's a picture of progress so far...
 

 
Thanks again for all the encouragement.
 
Happy building
 
Rob

Thanks Dimitris
 
A small update on the ship's launch. It's starting to come together a bit better now:
 
I ditched several ideas along the way here... The .5 x 3mm strip for the ribs is far too grainy to bend, and seemed to me to be too thick to look scale, so I used some veneer instead. I also decided to use ply from the pickle kit for the wales, as then I could cut and sand it to shape rather than trying to bend a 2mm strip (again, too thick?) against the widest dimension. By my reckoning the ribs end up about 6mm apart. I also ditched the former at the front and the "bench"? at the back as being way too thick. I've just planked the front with walnut, and I'll do the same at the back for the "bench".
 

 

 
 

 
The wales need a bit more sanding to make them more uniform, but otherwise I'm pleased with the progress so far. Next step, the "bench" at the back and then the 1x1mm strip and the brass decoration with the blue behind. Soon be onto the masts and spars
 
Has anyone turned the masts and spars for RYC on a Proxxon DB250 - I'm considering buying one to replace the mantua lathe I have (which really isn't man enough, and is dying slowly: not least, because the home-brew power supply I've been using has been providing too many volts to the motor - 14 instead of 12), but I'm wondering whether it's the best way to spend the money
 
Rob

Hi,
 
It's time to start my second build log on ModelShipWorld.com.
 
As I won't be starting this build from scratch, I guess a little explanation is in order.
 
My father started this model, and built it to the point shown below, where the hull decorations were mainly in place, and the deck furniture was mainly built, if not fitted. He passed away in January 2013, and I felt it would be a terrible shame for the model to be left unfinished. The challenge was to get some of the skills necessary to attempt to finish such a kit, so I started with something smaller.
 
For those interested, you can see how I got on here with Caldercraft's HM Schooner Pickle (HM Schooner Pickle.)
 
Anyway, I finished that kit a few days ago, and now I'm ready to begin work on Caroline.
 
Here's a picture of Caroline before I started work (except to go over her with a soft brush to get the dust off)
 

 
You can see a number of the fittings next to the bow.
 
The first evening's work was to go through the plans carefully and try and get my head around what had been done and what hadn't. I was immediately struck by how sparse the instructions are. Compared to Pickle which guides you through the rigging step by step with great care, the instructions for Caroline stop once you've put the deck furniture on, and just point you to the plans. Thankfully I'll be able to draw on the many excellent resources on this website, and my experience with Pickle.
 
Secondly was that the plans are printed on both sides, and so some time was spent sellotaping the plans back together where they had worn so thin they were in pieces.
 
Once this was done, I was ready to start fitting deck furniture (which had been pre-assembled off the model by my father). An emotional process, but it's lovely to see it start coming together.
 
Photos of progress so far are below:
 
Cleats at the bow, fitted:
 

 
Capstan, fitted, although I'm not very happy with the gap between the capstan base and the deck, so this will be gently refitted...
 

 
The support for the flag pole...
 

 
Steps...
 

 
And then, just for the fun of it, I dry-fitted some of the other fittings just to give me an idea of how they would fit onto the deck side by side... (cannon, ships-boat supports, etc..) - all of these are dry-fitted (and now I look at it, the sled for the ship's boat is upside-down!)
 

 
Sorry about the state of the photos, but it will give a rough idea.
 
Anyway. Happy building, thanks for looking, and I hope to be back with an update very soon.
 
Rob

Ratlines & Shrouds : intermediate update
 
Hi people : here's the actual status, almost halfway.
 
For the ratlines I used Gütermann thread color code 701.
The dark grey gives just that little contrast I was looking for.
 
Although it's (always) recommendable to follow the instructions, here I'd like to quote the Caldercraft's  "Ratlines chapter"  :
" When all the ratlines are finally tied, stain them by carefully brushing on Indian ink"
 
Has anyone ever tried this ? 
Even with the necessary precautions, only the thought of spilling a drop of ink on the hull/decks makes me feel a bit incomfortable.

After a few re-do's ( cut a shroud instead of a ratline at the fore mast )
I have make the lower shrouds and the ratlines.
Futtock staves and catharpins.
I must say, after I cut the shroud I have remove all of it at the foremast and re-do the shrouds.
They are better then the first time.
So the re-do was not lost time.
Only use a little more rope......
 
I can talk and talk but I think that you wanna see some pictures.
Here they are.
 
Sjors
 
( When you click on the picture, you can magnify them       )

120 hours into the Naiad build.  I am really enjoying this!  Progress has been made on the transom and stern cant frames.  Again, all final fairing is being deferred to later. 
 

A few shots of the forward fashion piece (ffp) prior to the transom pieces being faired.  There is a lot of meat on these and with good reason.  Note the dados from the filler and transom pieces.  Also note the camber of the wing transom (top) as well as the deck transom. 
 

 

Ed shows some reallly nice camber clamps in the book, Naiad.  I have yet to make these and know that I should (and will).  They allow angled clamping. I made the straight clamps, which are great, but here, have settled on the plastic clamps.  These are not ideal, but do work...
 

Frames 32 forward.  Each frame has an aft and forward pair, along with a template to match.  It is issential to leave the templates on the frames until the last possible moment.  I have gained more confidence in this build and have started to gently fair the frames to the template once installed. Note the transom and filler pieces have been faired here.  Also, the chocks have been chiseled to thier final thickness and sanded, leaving the template mostly intact.  Again, without the template, you are lost...
 

Here are a couple of shots of my framing jig in action.  This jig, as described in the Naiad book is a wonderful tool.  Sure, you could get by without one, but the precision required for each frame makes this jig a worthy investment in time and energy to build. 
 

When making frames, I alternate between stock.  I number my stock 1 thru 4 and build each frame from a different piece.  This is the same principle for tiling a floor.  Subtle changes in the color and texture will blend in much better with this method.  Also shown here are the chocks, I number those as well and will split them afterward.  Each chock is matched to specific frame location.
 

When fitting framing pieces together, I will install the chock on one side of the frame (not shown), clamp, let dry, chisel to thickness and then paste it to the template on the jib itself.  I then match up the other side of the frame, carefully beveling the frame to match the chock as well as inside and outside lines.  Once done, glue in place, clamp the frame down and then clamp the chock.  The next day, I fine tune the frame.
 
Book mathching (not shown) the cant frames is a good quality check.  If they are not equal, either tweak them or chuck them...  I do a gently sanding using a drum sander just to smooth out the rough frames.  Most of my fairing is done with miniature cabinet scrapers and I find that a smooth frame scrapes best...
 

A couple of shots of the full project.  My landlubber neighbor came by yesterday and said, "Its starting to look like a ship".  I took that as a compliment.  To me, it looked like a ship after the first piece was made...
 

 

The aft faces of the transoms and filler pieces from the stern will get rough faired this week.  I will repaste the wing transom template as a guide.

Terry
 
From memory, I too had to take quite a bit off bulkheads 9, 10 & 11. Frank has given you some very good advise about using a batten. From memory I had to add some `meat' to a couple of the other bulwarks using the method Frank describes - using 0.5 strips. Just make sure you get her smooth and level. It's better to get it right  at this stage than having to overuse filler and sand the hell out of it later.
 
I dug up a photo of my HMB Supply at this stage from my archives. Hope it helps.
 
Steve
 
 

Hi all,
 
Thanks for the likes. Progress is slow as the ratlines are tied. With a bit of help from my brother I've completed the ratlines on the mizzen and main masts. I've been using a printed out sheet with lines the right spacing apart (I make it 6mm), which has made it much less tiring on the eyes than when I did Pickle.
 

 

 
Happy building
 
Rob

After a couple of days gently getting the deck to sit I have now glued down the bow and stern deck sections and will hopefully glue down the mid section before having a weekend in London then spending as long as it takes to do all the fairing required to begin the first planking. Thankfully the beauty of having as much time as I want is teaching me to check and double check everything. Have a good weekend all.

Hi Terry,
 
Looks like you've made a great start. If you don't mind, I'll follow along.  If Supply's anything like Pickle (another Caldercraft kit, and the only one I've built), then those protruding bits will be to support the bulkheads as you plank the hull, on Pickle, they come off to allow the deck to go down.
 
On Pickle, it looks like this (I used a tiny saw blade in an xacto knife to saw as far through the stubs as I could before I snapped them off and filed down the rough patch):
 

 
Hope someone building Supply can help with the question about the false deck fit... it does look somewhat wide.
 
Rob

Hi all,
 
Thanks for the likes. Progress is slow as the ratlines are tied. With a bit of help from my brother I've completed the ratlines on the mizzen and main masts. I've been using a printed out sheet with lines the right spacing apart (I make it 6mm), which has made it much less tiring on the eyes than when I did Pickle.
 

 

 
Happy building
 
Rob

Hi Terry,
 
Looks like you've made a great start. If you don't mind, I'll follow along.  If Supply's anything like Pickle (another Caldercraft kit, and the only one I've built), then those protruding bits will be to support the bulkheads as you plank the hull, on Pickle, they come off to allow the deck to go down.
 
On Pickle, it looks like this (I used a tiny saw blade in an xacto knife to saw as far through the stubs as I could before I snapped them off and filed down the rough patch):
 

 
Hope someone building Supply can help with the question about the false deck fit... it does look somewhat wide.
 
Rob

I would say that sanding back is your best option here. Just make sure that the Cargo hatches and hole for main mast line up with the keel. Looking at your second photo, this seems to be the case. If they are lined up, you probably only need to sand one side. If not, you will have to centre the main deck then sand both sides. BTW, when I built my Supply, I reduced the width of the main cargo hatch on this centre deck. If you look at the photograph of the model on the front of the kit box, you will notice how close this hatch comes to the rear of the guns. In my opinion it would have been too close for the crew to work them. I reduced its width by a deck plank on each side (about 1cm)
 
Cheers
Steve

Hi rob/Steve
 
Many thanks indeed, I did wonder if the kit was slightly wider as a way of allowing any small mistakes to be overcome. I was after placing the center deck so I could batten bulkheads 8 and 3 for that deck to sit on. Thanks for the heads up on the hatch Steve, I will have a look at that. I will use the mast centring as a bit part to make sure he deck is central. Thanks guys.

Rob,
I just found your build log of Caroline,  I am very certain your father is smiling and looking forward to the stage when Caroline is all done and in display.
It's a true honor to your father of what you are doing.

Thank you very much
 
I decided to make one carronade with all of the details.  This way I could find out what is in store for me.  Now I can more comfortably finish up the remaining 11 guns.
 
I will describe how with a step-by-step once I get started.  But for now..here is what the completed gun looks like.  I also finished making the belaying pins.  They were made from boxwood.  I dislike the brass belaying pins available because they are just the wrong proportions.  With only about 16 pins needed I decided to make my own.  If you are a heavy handed rigger....someone who likes to pull theit rigging lines super tight like a guitar string then you should probably stick to the brass.  Otherwise give this a try.
 
I just chucked up a thin boxwood strip in my dremel and went to work.  The same method was used to make the quoin handle for the carriages. Image is below.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Chuck
 
 

Cheers all and the likes...
 
Carl - Yup, US suppliers call it Castello Boxwood which is similar but not the same, and I suspect it does have a bit more grain
Joe - yes, very enjoyable compared to working with walnut
Nigel - Great suggestion, although I still have plenty of sanding ahead of me so a little raised grain at this point shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Mobbsie - couple of thousand miles help with that
 
Knew I'd forgotten something, the sheaves for the sheets and tacks - wanted to do more than the kit suggest holes.   I had originally thought about trying to build the actual blocks but quickly realized very little would be seen even if I did.  So took the approach taken by others to simply drill a couple of holes and then shaped a pseudo sheave into some strip.  Photos are not great, the super magnification does no favours... 
Drilled the holes (the pencil is simply to provide a little contrast while working) Used X-acto knife to shape a 'slot' between them A rounded file then provided the profile of the sheave X-acto knife to square the outer edge of the slot  

 
Main tack sheave in position.  I put on some paint just to get confirm it would look OK once in position (the area of the hull here will be blue).  With a temporary simulated tack, demonstrates that even less will be seen...
 

 
The fore and spritsail sheet block required me to cutout a section from a previously attached plank, wasn't too problematic.
 

Four days to get the other side done. Phew. It looks a little better than the starboard side because I was a little more careful bending each plate carefully. Still, I think this would be much better with CA glue. Oh, well, the fun is to accept compromises. 
 
The next job is fitting the capping rails. 
 
Regards 
 
Rick