robdurant

Thanks, @BobG, @gak1965, @AJohnson, you're very kind. I feel surrounded by masters, here... but I'm pleased with how my bodging is coming along!
 
I managed to add the reef points to the fore upper-topsail, which is the last sail to need reefing points, so that was a nice milestone to reach.  Next is to add the eyelets and blocks to the fore upper-topsail yard ... am I the only one who finds drilling holes all over the yards a fiddly and frustrating job?
 
I think I've probably described the process of the reefing points before, but just in case, it's #100 DMC Cordonnet crochet thread, with a knot in it (one knot is plenty), then threaded through the sail with a needle. Once through, it's cut off with a couple of inches to spare. When all done, I place a metal ruler beneath it, and use watered down aliphatic glue (Carpenter's glue / yellow glue) to stiffen the thread, and line it up vertically. Once fairly dry, it's cut to length (the width of my wider 15cm steel rule) and another dab of watered down PVA fixes the end in the right position on the sail. The sail is then turned over, and the process repeated.
 

The finished article...

I am glad to have these done.
 
Thanks for all the support and encouragement
 
Rob

The weather deck at the bow is filled and painted - with a little fettling still to do, perhaps, but I'll do that once I've added the rubbing strips and details on the outside of the hull. I've also made progress with the superstructure, which now has the makings of a wheelhouse, and the deck sections just behind the wheelhouse are being planked. Here are some photos of her on water... The first time she's been ballasted down to waterline (using sheet lead), and she was dry as a bone inside 
 




Thanks for looking in, for likes and for general encouragement. Progress is slow, but definitely heading in the right direction.
 
Rob
 
 
 
 

I've completed planking the deck. Once complete, this had a coat of matt varnish (Admiralty paints)
 

 
I was conscious that I really needed to get on with making the stand, so I bit the bullet, and it turned out okay. The stand as designed is pretty flimsy, and I want it to withstand being taken to a lake to sail, so I've glued it onto the build board, and pegged the parts onto the board with 3mm walnut. I modified the design a little, moving the props for the hull to the ends of the cross pieces, so that they provide greater lateral stability, coming further up the sides of the hull. All in all, it's pretty sturdy now. I'm using an old t-shirt to protect the hull, but at some point, I'll put some pads onto the stand to replace it. 
 

 
Now I had the stand, the front end of the stand could be propped up using some books (2.5 centimetres higher at the bow than the stern), and the waterline marked using a biscuit tin with a pencil stuck to it. Basic, but effective. A spirit-level was placed across the bulwarks to ensure that the waterline was level side to side. Once marked, the waterline was masked off with tamiya masking tape, and the section below the line painted with Vallejo Leather Red. I'm still not entirely sold on the blue - it's darker and not as greeney as I'd intended, but I'm hoping daylight will make it look better. In the not too distant future I now need to add the strips on the hull... these will be stuck on with superglue, and touched up as necessary. 
 

 
The weather deck at the bow was now glued in place. I was really pleased with how this went together in the end. The top was bent using my violin rib-bending iron first to get some camber in it, and then stuck in place, with some pins to hold it in place as it stuck. Once dry, the sides could be added, bevelling the edges to help them fit to the hull and deck. It looked a bit rough, but some sanding improved things massively, and with a little filler, it will look really smart. I noticed that the holes in this deck are nowhere near to centred on the part. I'll probably fill them in and re-drill them. I presume these holes are for the hawse pipes and some deck equipment. 
 

 
I've also added the deck onto the superstructure, ready to begin building the wheelhouse on top. This deck has a lot more curve in it than you'd think, and it was a bear to clamp it while gluing. I eventually got there, but not without a little frustration along the way. The best way seemed to be to clamp it in a few places, so it was in the right position, then to add carpenter's glue, and once pushed into place, add superglue along the inside edges where the deck meets the superstructure sides to tack it in place while it sets.
 

 
Finally, the rudder had a couple of coats of the Eze-kote water-based epoxy resin substitute that I've used for the hull, and then a few coats of the leather red to match the hull.
 

Looking at that photo, the cap rail's going to need some more attention before it gets its final coat of black. I can do that at the same time as I clean up the weather deck at the bow. 
 
Thanks for taking an interest. Another bouyancy test is called for soon, I think
 
Rob

Thanks, @BobG, @gak1965, @AJohnson, you're very kind. I feel surrounded by masters, here... but I'm pleased with how my bodging is coming along!
 
I managed to add the reef points to the fore upper-topsail, which is the last sail to need reefing points, so that was a nice milestone to reach.  Next is to add the eyelets and blocks to the fore upper-topsail yard ... am I the only one who finds drilling holes all over the yards a fiddly and frustrating job?
 
I think I've probably described the process of the reefing points before, but just in case, it's #100 DMC Cordonnet crochet thread, with a knot in it (one knot is plenty), then threaded through the sail with a needle. Once through, it's cut off with a couple of inches to spare. When all done, I place a metal ruler beneath it, and use watered down aliphatic glue (Carpenter's glue / yellow glue) to stiffen the thread, and line it up vertically. Once fairly dry, it's cut to length (the width of my wider 15cm steel rule) and another dab of watered down PVA fixes the end in the right position on the sail. The sail is then turned over, and the process repeated.
 

The finished article...

I am glad to have these done.
 
Thanks for all the support and encouragement
 
Rob

The weather deck at the bow is filled and painted - with a little fettling still to do, perhaps, but I'll do that once I've added the rubbing strips and details on the outside of the hull. I've also made progress with the superstructure, which now has the makings of a wheelhouse, and the deck sections just behind the wheelhouse are being planked. Here are some photos of her on water... The first time she's been ballasted down to waterline (using sheet lead), and she was dry as a bone inside 
 




Thanks for looking in, for likes and for general encouragement. Progress is slow, but definitely heading in the right direction.
 
Rob
 
 
 
 

And we continue with more piping. It also seems I've taken her out to the water more than I can remember. 
 
Mainly concentrated on the Inert Gas line - vent mast etc. For the vent mast top I used a small Proxxon Lathe, but my main issue was that I didn't have rods of proper diameter to turn it from. Turning styrene is also tricky since occasionally the chisel grabs the styrene and the whole things get pulled out of the chuck. 
For the forward vent mast I glued styrene tubes of consecutive diameters into each other, but I guess I was very lucky to get that vent mast head done as I've done around 4 attempts for the second one and never succeeded in that... Nowadays however things are easier to get, so guess I will get a proper rod to turn the head of the aft vent mast. 

 

 

 

 

 
And the start of the lifeboats. To save myself some time, I used a balsa construction on styrene plating. I used the top and side view of the boats, filled the open spaces to create some hull volume and then added milliput epoxy filler over that to smoothen out the hull. 
 

 

 

 

 
 

I've completed planking the deck. Once complete, this had a coat of matt varnish (Admiralty paints)
 

 
I was conscious that I really needed to get on with making the stand, so I bit the bullet, and it turned out okay. The stand as designed is pretty flimsy, and I want it to withstand being taken to a lake to sail, so I've glued it onto the build board, and pegged the parts onto the board with 3mm walnut. I modified the design a little, moving the props for the hull to the ends of the cross pieces, so that they provide greater lateral stability, coming further up the sides of the hull. All in all, it's pretty sturdy now. I'm using an old t-shirt to protect the hull, but at some point, I'll put some pads onto the stand to replace it. 
 

 
Now I had the stand, the front end of the stand could be propped up using some books (2.5 centimetres higher at the bow than the stern), and the waterline marked using a biscuit tin with a pencil stuck to it. Basic, but effective. A spirit-level was placed across the bulwarks to ensure that the waterline was level side to side. Once marked, the waterline was masked off with tamiya masking tape, and the section below the line painted with Vallejo Leather Red. I'm still not entirely sold on the blue - it's darker and not as greeney as I'd intended, but I'm hoping daylight will make it look better. In the not too distant future I now need to add the strips on the hull... these will be stuck on with superglue, and touched up as necessary. 
 

 
The weather deck at the bow was now glued in place. I was really pleased with how this went together in the end. The top was bent using my violin rib-bending iron first to get some camber in it, and then stuck in place, with some pins to hold it in place as it stuck. Once dry, the sides could be added, bevelling the edges to help them fit to the hull and deck. It looked a bit rough, but some sanding improved things massively, and with a little filler, it will look really smart. I noticed that the holes in this deck are nowhere near to centred on the part. I'll probably fill them in and re-drill them. I presume these holes are for the hawse pipes and some deck equipment. 
 

 
I've also added the deck onto the superstructure, ready to begin building the wheelhouse on top. This deck has a lot more curve in it than you'd think, and it was a bear to clamp it while gluing. I eventually got there, but not without a little frustration along the way. The best way seemed to be to clamp it in a few places, so it was in the right position, then to add carpenter's glue, and once pushed into place, add superglue along the inside edges where the deck meets the superstructure sides to tack it in place while it sets.
 

 
Finally, the rudder had a couple of coats of the Eze-kote water-based epoxy resin substitute that I've used for the hull, and then a few coats of the leather red to match the hull.
 

Looking at that photo, the cap rail's going to need some more attention before it gets its final coat of black. I can do that at the same time as I clean up the weather deck at the bow. 
 
Thanks for taking an interest. Another bouyancy test is called for soon, I think
 
Rob

I've completed planking the deck. Once complete, this had a coat of matt varnish (Admiralty paints)
 

 
I was conscious that I really needed to get on with making the stand, so I bit the bullet, and it turned out okay. The stand as designed is pretty flimsy, and I want it to withstand being taken to a lake to sail, so I've glued it onto the build board, and pegged the parts onto the board with 3mm walnut. I modified the design a little, moving the props for the hull to the ends of the cross pieces, so that they provide greater lateral stability, coming further up the sides of the hull. All in all, it's pretty sturdy now. I'm using an old t-shirt to protect the hull, but at some point, I'll put some pads onto the stand to replace it. 
 

 
Now I had the stand, the front end of the stand could be propped up using some books (2.5 centimetres higher at the bow than the stern), and the waterline marked using a biscuit tin with a pencil stuck to it. Basic, but effective. A spirit-level was placed across the bulwarks to ensure that the waterline was level side to side. Once marked, the waterline was masked off with tamiya masking tape, and the section below the line painted with Vallejo Leather Red. I'm still not entirely sold on the blue - it's darker and not as greeney as I'd intended, but I'm hoping daylight will make it look better. In the not too distant future I now need to add the strips on the hull... these will be stuck on with superglue, and touched up as necessary. 
 

 
The weather deck at the bow was now glued in place. I was really pleased with how this went together in the end. The top was bent using my violin rib-bending iron first to get some camber in it, and then stuck in place, with some pins to hold it in place as it stuck. Once dry, the sides could be added, bevelling the edges to help them fit to the hull and deck. It looked a bit rough, but some sanding improved things massively, and with a little filler, it will look really smart. I noticed that the holes in this deck are nowhere near to centred on the part. I'll probably fill them in and re-drill them. I presume these holes are for the hawse pipes and some deck equipment. 
 

 
I've also added the deck onto the superstructure, ready to begin building the wheelhouse on top. This deck has a lot more curve in it than you'd think, and it was a bear to clamp it while gluing. I eventually got there, but not without a little frustration along the way. The best way seemed to be to clamp it in a few places, so it was in the right position, then to add carpenter's glue, and once pushed into place, add superglue along the inside edges where the deck meets the superstructure sides to tack it in place while it sets.
 

 
Finally, the rudder had a couple of coats of the Eze-kote water-based epoxy resin substitute that I've used for the hull, and then a few coats of the leather red to match the hull.
 

Looking at that photo, the cap rail's going to need some more attention before it gets its final coat of black. I can do that at the same time as I clean up the weather deck at the bow. 
 
Thanks for taking an interest. Another bouyancy test is called for soon, I think
 
Rob

I've completed planking the deck. Once complete, this had a coat of matt varnish (Admiralty paints)
 

 
I was conscious that I really needed to get on with making the stand, so I bit the bullet, and it turned out okay. The stand as designed is pretty flimsy, and I want it to withstand being taken to a lake to sail, so I've glued it onto the build board, and pegged the parts onto the board with 3mm walnut. I modified the design a little, moving the props for the hull to the ends of the cross pieces, so that they provide greater lateral stability, coming further up the sides of the hull. All in all, it's pretty sturdy now. I'm using an old t-shirt to protect the hull, but at some point, I'll put some pads onto the stand to replace it. 
 

 
Now I had the stand, the front end of the stand could be propped up using some books (2.5 centimetres higher at the bow than the stern), and the waterline marked using a biscuit tin with a pencil stuck to it. Basic, but effective. A spirit-level was placed across the bulwarks to ensure that the waterline was level side to side. Once marked, the waterline was masked off with tamiya masking tape, and the section below the line painted with Vallejo Leather Red. I'm still not entirely sold on the blue - it's darker and not as greeney as I'd intended, but I'm hoping daylight will make it look better. In the not too distant future I now need to add the strips on the hull... these will be stuck on with superglue, and touched up as necessary. 
 

 
The weather deck at the bow was now glued in place. I was really pleased with how this went together in the end. The top was bent using my violin rib-bending iron first to get some camber in it, and then stuck in place, with some pins to hold it in place as it stuck. Once dry, the sides could be added, bevelling the edges to help them fit to the hull and deck. It looked a bit rough, but some sanding improved things massively, and with a little filler, it will look really smart. I noticed that the holes in this deck are nowhere near to centred on the part. I'll probably fill them in and re-drill them. I presume these holes are for the hawse pipes and some deck equipment. 
 

 
I've also added the deck onto the superstructure, ready to begin building the wheelhouse on top. This deck has a lot more curve in it than you'd think, and it was a bear to clamp it while gluing. I eventually got there, but not without a little frustration along the way. The best way seemed to be to clamp it in a few places, so it was in the right position, then to add carpenter's glue, and once pushed into place, add superglue along the inside edges where the deck meets the superstructure sides to tack it in place while it sets.
 

 
Finally, the rudder had a couple of coats of the Eze-kote water-based epoxy resin substitute that I've used for the hull, and then a few coats of the leather red to match the hull.
 

Looking at that photo, the cap rail's going to need some more attention before it gets its final coat of black. I can do that at the same time as I clean up the weather deck at the bow. 
 
Thanks for taking an interest. Another bouyancy test is called for soon, I think
 
Rob

I've completed planking the deck. Once complete, this had a coat of matt varnish (Admiralty paints)
 

 
I was conscious that I really needed to get on with making the stand, so I bit the bullet, and it turned out okay. The stand as designed is pretty flimsy, and I want it to withstand being taken to a lake to sail, so I've glued it onto the build board, and pegged the parts onto the board with 3mm walnut. I modified the design a little, moving the props for the hull to the ends of the cross pieces, so that they provide greater lateral stability, coming further up the sides of the hull. All in all, it's pretty sturdy now. I'm using an old t-shirt to protect the hull, but at some point, I'll put some pads onto the stand to replace it. 
 

 
Now I had the stand, the front end of the stand could be propped up using some books (2.5 centimetres higher at the bow than the stern), and the waterline marked using a biscuit tin with a pencil stuck to it. Basic, but effective. A spirit-level was placed across the bulwarks to ensure that the waterline was level side to side. Once marked, the waterline was masked off with tamiya masking tape, and the section below the line painted with Vallejo Leather Red. I'm still not entirely sold on the blue - it's darker and not as greeney as I'd intended, but I'm hoping daylight will make it look better. In the not too distant future I now need to add the strips on the hull... these will be stuck on with superglue, and touched up as necessary. 
 

 
The weather deck at the bow was now glued in place. I was really pleased with how this went together in the end. The top was bent using my violin rib-bending iron first to get some camber in it, and then stuck in place, with some pins to hold it in place as it stuck. Once dry, the sides could be added, bevelling the edges to help them fit to the hull and deck. It looked a bit rough, but some sanding improved things massively, and with a little filler, it will look really smart. I noticed that the holes in this deck are nowhere near to centred on the part. I'll probably fill them in and re-drill them. I presume these holes are for the hawse pipes and some deck equipment. 
 

 
I've also added the deck onto the superstructure, ready to begin building the wheelhouse on top. This deck has a lot more curve in it than you'd think, and it was a bear to clamp it while gluing. I eventually got there, but not without a little frustration along the way. The best way seemed to be to clamp it in a few places, so it was in the right position, then to add carpenter's glue, and once pushed into place, add superglue along the inside edges where the deck meets the superstructure sides to tack it in place while it sets.
 

 
Finally, the rudder had a couple of coats of the Eze-kote water-based epoxy resin substitute that I've used for the hull, and then a few coats of the leather red to match the hull.
 

Looking at that photo, the cap rail's going to need some more attention before it gets its final coat of black. I can do that at the same time as I clean up the weather deck at the bow. 
 
Thanks for taking an interest. Another bouyancy test is called for soon, I think
 
Rob

I've completed planking the deck. Once complete, this had a coat of matt varnish (Admiralty paints)
 

 
I was conscious that I really needed to get on with making the stand, so I bit the bullet, and it turned out okay. The stand as designed is pretty flimsy, and I want it to withstand being taken to a lake to sail, so I've glued it onto the build board, and pegged the parts onto the board with 3mm walnut. I modified the design a little, moving the props for the hull to the ends of the cross pieces, so that they provide greater lateral stability, coming further up the sides of the hull. All in all, it's pretty sturdy now. I'm using an old t-shirt to protect the hull, but at some point, I'll put some pads onto the stand to replace it. 
 

 
Now I had the stand, the front end of the stand could be propped up using some books (2.5 centimetres higher at the bow than the stern), and the waterline marked using a biscuit tin with a pencil stuck to it. Basic, but effective. A spirit-level was placed across the bulwarks to ensure that the waterline was level side to side. Once marked, the waterline was masked off with tamiya masking tape, and the section below the line painted with Vallejo Leather Red. I'm still not entirely sold on the blue - it's darker and not as greeney as I'd intended, but I'm hoping daylight will make it look better. In the not too distant future I now need to add the strips on the hull... these will be stuck on with superglue, and touched up as necessary. 
 

 
The weather deck at the bow was now glued in place. I was really pleased with how this went together in the end. The top was bent using my violin rib-bending iron first to get some camber in it, and then stuck in place, with some pins to hold it in place as it stuck. Once dry, the sides could be added, bevelling the edges to help them fit to the hull and deck. It looked a bit rough, but some sanding improved things massively, and with a little filler, it will look really smart. I noticed that the holes in this deck are nowhere near to centred on the part. I'll probably fill them in and re-drill them. I presume these holes are for the hawse pipes and some deck equipment. 
 

 
I've also added the deck onto the superstructure, ready to begin building the wheelhouse on top. This deck has a lot more curve in it than you'd think, and it was a bear to clamp it while gluing. I eventually got there, but not without a little frustration along the way. The best way seemed to be to clamp it in a few places, so it was in the right position, then to add carpenter's glue, and once pushed into place, add superglue along the inside edges where the deck meets the superstructure sides to tack it in place while it sets.
 

 
Finally, the rudder had a couple of coats of the Eze-kote water-based epoxy resin substitute that I've used for the hull, and then a few coats of the leather red to match the hull.
 

Looking at that photo, the cap rail's going to need some more attention before it gets its final coat of black. I can do that at the same time as I clean up the weather deck at the bow. 
 
Thanks for taking an interest. Another bouyancy test is called for soon, I think
 
Rob

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.)


 
 

Still dithering about with the Jolly Boat. I eventually bit the bullet and splashed out on a new resin 3D printer. I got the Elegoo Saturn 3 Ultra 12k and the Anycubic Wash and Cure. Not a great amount of research went into this as it was the only one that was available in the store at the time. I think that it is a fairly good machine though and should be more than good enough for my needs. I am now feeling like one of those old dogs that is forced to learn some new tricks as I try to work out how to produce an acceptable print. You know you are in for a whole lot of pain when all the articles you read start off with the phrase that resin printing is more art than science.

The first foray into the resin world was not a great success. I thought that I should have a stab at the Jolly Boat as it was this that caused me to buy the set-up in the first place. I thought I should take some advantage of the new capabilities and try to print the entire set of futtocks and keel at the same time thereby saving myself a few assembly steps. I had to revisit the CAD model and put it together virtually so that it was a complete structure rather than an assemblage of parts. I also took this opportunity to thin the futtocks down from the chunkier versions that were necessitated by my previous printer. I modified the detail around the sacrificial tabs so that I could snugly fit the wash strake from the get go and hopefully prevent the futtock non adherence issue I encountered in my previous prototype.

 

 
 

 
The finished model was exported and imported into the new slicer program. I then had to try and orient the model to ensure a successful print and achieve the optimum print quality and support location. I suspect that this stage along with the myriad of settings is where the art lies.

Once all that was out of the way I transferred the file over to the printer, loaded resin, pressed start, and went out for a beer as this is not like a paper printer where the result shoots out in seconds. Several hours later I went back and it looked like a mess of spaghetti but I could discern a model amongst the support structure. Then it was over to the wash station and after that was finished it got a quick blow dry using the airbrush and I then had it rotating in the cure station like a midnight kebab.
 


After removing the supports and giving it a cleanup, it was ready for comparison with the previous version. The resin print is a lot sharper and the ability to produce results on a much finer scale is commendable. I wish I had access to this a couple of years ago. I would have improved the resolution of a lot of the details where I had to compromise due to the limitations I was labouring under. Unfortunately, the futtocks are so delicate and, while the material has some flex, it is very brittle. I snapped off a whole lot while trying to free the frame from the support structure. I have subsequently found out that I would have had a better chance if I had removed these supports before curing but I need an alternative method as the futtocks are too small to be glued back on and just one failure would set me back. I also noticed the keel does not possess the required stiffness a keel should possess which may result in some unwanted distortion. I replaced the lower section with some walnut which solved that issue.
 


I did some googling and found out that there are other resins available that have different structural properties. I have sourced one that is for engineering purposes and seems to have better performance specifications although I think that the cross-sectional area of the futtocks is too small to be completely resistant to sudden fracture but it should give me a fighting chance until the planks are in place.
 
Before heading out to the shop for new resin I thought that I might try and hone my skills by printing out various other bits and pieces of deck furniture that I have already constructed namely the barricade, belfry, and skylight. This will give me an idea of what is and is not possible and how much detail I can include before it becomes invisible at the scale I am working with. As these are structures that I have already completed I will have something available for comparative purposes. I had a go at drawing these up and then running them through the printer. The speed of the print is determined by the vertical travel distance so I can cram in a whole lot into the horizontal footprint of the print bed without affecting the print time. The pre-print drawing does look like a tornado travelling through an antique shop though.


 


The first element that I attempted was the quarterdeck barricade. I had already built a CAD model of this but I needed to do some work on this to make it printable. It came out OK with fine a lot of fine detail preserved. I am not sure if I will swap this out as I have grown fond of the crude homemade workmanship of the original.
 




Another piece that seemed to be suited to the printing technique was the belfry. This led to more CAD work based on a combination of the drawings in the AOTSD, details from the NMM plans, photographs of the HMS Victory belfry and my own interpretation. I could have printed this all out in one model but I decided to split out the bell beam and the bell so that I could introduce a more natural joint. I drew up two versions of the Bell. One as per the AOTSD and the other with more exaggerated articulation as I did not think that the original detailing would show up at the 1:64 scale which turned out to be true. I should have also increased the wall thickness of the bell as the printed version was so thin to cause it to collapse under its own weight.
 
The first print of the belfry was not bad in terms of the detail included but the roof looked a bit flat so I exaggerated the proportions slightly for the second go around.


 

I had used copper sheathing on the roof of my original timber attempt but I was never happy with the scale of the patina that I ended up with. For this version I decided to go with a lead sheathing. While the current HMS Victory belfry appears to have copper, I suspect that they would not have been that extravagant back in the day and lead would have been the go-to material. Not having access to suitably thin lead I tried to mimic it using stainless steel sheet but that was hard work so I resorted to plain photocopy paper that I painted grey to try and look like lead. I cannot show a photo of the bell in place as I shattered the bell beam trying to force the brass supporting rods into holes that were slightly too small. The material does not have the forgiving flex of styrene.



The other piece that I was never happy with was the skylight on the quarterdeck. My first effort was quite clumsy as I could not get the members fine enough. I have not been able to find any detailed drawings of an 18th century skylight so I had to rely on descriptions in Lavery as well as what can be seen on HMS Victory and HMS Trincomalee. I used a lot of artistic licence and treated it as a bit of a test bed by introducing some articulation. This was to make it look more like a joinery item and to see how small I could go before the details become invisible to the naked eye.

 
The first prints did not work as the gap that I had left for the glazing closed up during the printing and the mullions were too thin to maintain structural integrity. I redrew this using thicker sections and a new method for incorporating the glazing by printing the entire frame assembly in two separate pieces with the glass sandwiched in between. The new chunkier sections are not a million miles from the sizes I used in the existing model. The 3D printed version has a lot more detail than the original and has a bigger glazed area so that it might be possible to get merest of glimpses to the deck below so I may go ahead and swap this out. There are visible details at 0.2mm which is finer than I can manage using traditional techniques.
 





I seemed to have lost a lot more time while faffing about with my new toy so I should really get back to working on the model as it has been stalled these past few weeks.
 
 
 
 
 
 

After years of trying to figure out the best sequence for the standing rigging, I found that, for me at least, the best thing to do is add all shrouds, lower and topmast, incuding lower futtock shrouds. I then add the ratlines while the area is still uncluttered with rigging. After this, the topgallant shrouds are added, then onto the stays. I sometimes fit the yards before shrouds, pinning them so I can tilt them up or down when doing the ratlines.
 
After shrouds and ratlines, rigging comes together pretty quick, as the shrouds and rats are last longest single job to do on the model.

Mainmast done up for paint, still can separate it into 3 pieces 

I saw some fighting last night but they **** through before I could get a photo!
 
mainmast done, foremast is absolute pain to align. Bluetack and glue finally got me there 

Spartan/Roman figurehead now installed.  Masts completed.  Next step I need to fabricate the three stern lanterns the British used rather than the single large lantern that comes with the kit.


 
 
 

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

I unfortunately do not have anything to add to this discussion, but I wanted to pop in to mention how much I appreciate reading these sort of topics both as they happen and also when while researching some obscure topic I come across them.

Looking great... the character is in fact a Greek capital lambda (L) (the following image is public domain from wiki images)
The Lambda represented Lacedaemon which was the Greek for Sparta.

Hi Rob,
I experienced the same thing with the QG door framing, in the end I landed somewhere between the framing drawing and the Portland outboard profile. Looking at my 3D model with the QG in place, it would be extremely difficult to spot an error or discrepancy through the window frame and QG structure. 
 

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.

Just an afterthought, but, this may be a good time to check how the channels and chain plates will line up just to be safe.
David.

It feels like a couple of weeks since my last update, but, I think I have finally figured out the positioning of the gunports. For the last few weeks I knew the maximum distance between gunports 1 and 14 and was trying to position the rest equaly spaced apart from 7 and 8 which, as was pointed out previously, should be further apart. I was also triying to fit everything between frames.  I tried everything I could including scaling up photos and measuring sizes and distances of the ports to match. Everything I tried resulted in at least one or more frames being behind where I thought the gunports should sit. Last night I realised that I may have to compromise and lose one of the frames. The distance from port 1 to 7 and 8 to 14 should be equal. The steps up the hull are about the same width as the gunports but about a gunports width from 7. I also guessed that none of the gunports should be level with the masts. I laid another strip of tape, marked out the centre line and worked my way in each direction, with 15mm wide ports and 30mm wide spaces. This also didn't work but was closer than I had managed previously. I changed the measurements to 31mm apart but kept the 15mm wide ports and starting at frame 3 worked my way along the hull. This was my Eureka moment. Everything lined up perfectly apart from frame 9 which was 5mm too far astern. I checked the measurements again and eveything still matched. I triple checked again tonight and I'm certain, this time I have got it right. I now need to cut away the previous planking to where the gunports should be. Where frame 9 was needs to be filed flush. The next task will be to lay 2 X 5mm strips parrallel to the frams and add 2mm thick and 13mm high balsa strips inside the hull to line up with the ports and also mark the line of the tops of the ports. Once this is completed I will lay strips of 2mm balsa along the top of the gunports level with the the line of the top deck. The entire inner bulwarks will have 1mm strips added to fill out the planking flush with the frames. These in turn will have 0.5mm planking to avoid the hull looking too thick, I hope. Coincidently, the linings of the ports will now be 0.5mm thick which seems to be more accurate. I still have lots to do but at least I think I'm winning.       

On the actual ships there were usually one and more often two frames that were in line with a gun port so there is nothing wrong with a frame crossing a port.   The frames were cut and ledges put in place then the linings/stops on the bottom ledge and sides of the frames forming the fore and aft sides of the port.
Allan