Beef Wellington

Greetings all
               Well it is really good to be back, and thank you for all your comments, which are appreciated.  I started to finish off the port side planking . An hours job ?? Alas NO !! I got carried away a bit and rushed it. Half of one length of 3 mm strip was not tight up to the one below it. As soon as you removed the half a dozen or so clamps it  stood out a mile. So no more rushing things, I should know better. I will now leave that until last, then tidy up the gun ports.  I asked for advice on what I should concentrate on next, thinking the Wales or the stern work. Jason advised me the best thing to do was to forget about any work around the hull or stern and concentrate on the deck were there is lots to do. And obviously it reduces any damage which may occur around the hull. So yep Jason the deck etc it is. Thanks a lot. So onward I go with the deck area. As you will see on the photos which are next I have started on the deck and made hundreds of guns, and that was pretty quick !!! OK my friend wanted to do them when I showed him them. I could not deter him from taking them. What do you mean !!! You don’t believe me.. I will sort them later. OK it’s the deck plan out next.    Here are the photos of the hundreds of cannons I made.!!!!    Regards DAVID

Hi Snowy
 
Yes, the same stripes for 1st and 2nd planking and yes again I tried to stagger it by starting the 2nd planking a bit too high and then sanding off the top 1mm of the 2nd planking. (With some foresight I would however have done this to the 1st planking because it would be less obvious.) Anyhow I still had a few areas where the seams of both layers met - and split during sanding. Reinforcement with liquid CA glue helped. Btw I used CA glue for the whole 2nd planking and epoxy glue to fix the rails.
 
 
Hi Sailor1234567890
 
Well I think you could start with the boats. Me, I was impatient to see the real dimensions of the ship and started with the big one. I don't know if you could use the boats as training pieces, if that is on your mind, because they are fiddly work and you have less room for corrections with those thin planks.
 
I had to check where that place Shubenacadie is. I hope you forgive me that I had never heard of it. Well, that looks like a nice location, quite close to Halifax and therefore much closer to the sea and the navy than my place.
 
Cheers all
Peter

Looking good David.  I think you're at a nice stage where you can work on a number of things simultaneously, which can be nice to keep changing the pace, especially the all interior main deck fittings and cannons.  One thing I'm sure you've read from all the other Diana builds is the challenge with getting appropriate alignment at the stern, and how this ties into the lines of the wale.  I tend to start planning as soon as I can and leave final installation until as late as I can to avoid as many unexpected surprises as possible.  That may allow you to make any fine adjustments needed to the placement of the wale which doesn't need to go on just yet.  I'd also recommend figuring out the placement of the mid-ship beams which will require you cut into the lime planking and nice to get this out of the way without having to worry about damaging anything down the road.

I haven't posted in a while, but I have been drawing all day long every day. The stern is definitely challenging to draw. I get the elevation worked out, only to discover that the section or plan no longer aligns. So I have to go back and forth among the three making constant adjustments. And since everything is connected to everything else, all is in constant motion...
 
I finally figured out why things would not line up. I had assumed that on the sheer, a line drawn along the aft most edge of the hull at the sides would be parallel to a line drawn along the aft most edge of all the decks at the center line. But it turns out that the line at the sides is not parallel to the line at the center. They converge slightly towards the top. You can just about see this in the original shipwright's drawing below. Note the two dotted lines, one at the side and the other at the center, are closer together at the bottom than at the top.

I finally figured out that this is because the radius of the aft deck ends is the same for the upper deck, quarter deck and poop deck. And since the decks are progressively narrower as they go higher, the amount of round aft decreases at each deck level. And so they are progressively shorter at the center relative to their sides. The following sketch shows the idea. The two radiuses are the same, but the upper deck gets a longer rise in the chord as at "A", than the rise of the chord for the poop deck at "B" So even though the poop rakes aft of the upper deck at the side, the rise of the chord is less. So the lines at the side and the center eventually converge. A small point, but I could not make the stern geometry work until I figured this out. Those original shipwrights were pretty clever!
 

With that problem fixed, it is now a matter of constructing the side galleries relative to the sheer and the plans of each deck. In the sheer below, the brown lines are the locations of the various rims and stools on the face of the hull itself, while the purple lines are the beginning of the outside view of the side galleries as they project from the side.
 

 
I learned more about the side galleries, working out how everything fits together. I realized that the original Bellona drawing posted previously did not include the thickness of the structure in the quarter gallery; when this is added, the space really starts to get smaller. The purple line shows the 4" thick plank within the quarter gallery; still not sure if it thins down here or not. The thicker plank definitely crashed into the stern window structure, but if there is a wooden backing to the glazing, this awkward junction would not be seen. These are snug places, 3' wide at the greatest width, and a 1'-9" door to get through into it. I am starting to wonder if there was room for a London Times newspaper rack after all...🙂
 
Mark
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1st planking done and sanded. Needed a bit filler. Started 2nd planking.
 
Huge problem with planks as they all are hairy on sides and dont have nice straight cut. I have no idea why its like that-maybe the kit is so old...
Still decided to continiue and did some testing with sanding-it will make it mich better and will fill the joints. But still....
Would say that drawings are nice but there are still so many blind spots where pictures would be helpful-thank god for one build here where hull is done.

But walnut is really nice-i love it. It also does not suck CA in so mich and marks van be sanded off.

Regarding future builds...Model Expo discount got me a little crazy and i got few years of kits coming in....

Looking good David.  I think you're at a nice stage where you can work on a number of things simultaneously, which can be nice to keep changing the pace, especially the all interior main deck fittings and cannons.  One thing I'm sure you've read from all the other Diana builds is the challenge with getting appropriate alignment at the stern, and how this ties into the lines of the wale.  I tend to start planning as soon as I can and leave final installation until as late as I can to avoid as many unexpected surprises as possible.  That may allow you to make any fine adjustments needed to the placement of the wale which doesn't need to go on just yet.  I'd also recommend figuring out the placement of the mid-ship beams which will require you cut into the lime planking and nice to get this out of the way without having to worry about damaging anything down the road.

Greetings all
            After a year or so I have restarted my build of the Diana, and have finished all the second planking apart from an hour or so on the port side and tidying of the gun ports. So what to do next chaps what do you reckon ? I was thinking the Wales or work  on the stern area.  I do have a question about the Wale. How wide  is the Wale 18 mm or 21 mm, 6 or 7 planks?  The drawing measures 18mm but asks for 21mm which I think it would then meet the water line. Well there you go !!  Here’s 
a few photos.  DAVID

Thanks again everyone for the very kind remarks and useful comments/suggestions. I am learning a lot from these processes and I am am still not happy with some of the pieces, but I have to make some progress - so they stay.
 
I have started work on completing the broadside guns as I have still procrastinating whether just to add simple stand-alone sheet bitts to each/all masts, or whether to add cross-pieces to the Fore and Main.  I have a quandary in that the Contract states sheet bits to be fitted, but in another specifies crosspieces, BUT, I currently interpret this as being for the gallows only.  However, this just ambiguous enough to also refer to the sheet bitts as similar treatment has been used for other items.  Also, the plans for the contemporary Arrow and Vigilant class ships show cross pieces on the main mast bitts, but one shows on both masts, but the other only on for the main mast bitts.  The mizen is definitely only the sheet bitts as per the plans and photographic evidence.
 
I am leaning to just bitts as the masts were also fitted with spider bands at the base of each mast which will accept the lines usually belayed to the cross piece pins.
 
Thanks again for all for looking in
 
Pat

Other things have intruded on boat building recently.  However here is some progress.  All of the various main stays are complete and tied off, as are the mizzen, and mizzen topmast stays.  They have come out reasonably well.  The bowsprit shrouds  and bobstays are complete and tied off. 
 
I have had some problems with some of the backstays.  For a few, the Syren thread has twisted which results in the top deadeyes being at a noticeable angle to the bottom deadeyes.  I can find no reason for it.  All of the stays have been treated in exactly the same way.  I have experimented by giving one or two the opposite twist, clamping it, then running very dilute PVA down their length.  I then left them to dry overnight and the problem seems to be solved.  Now for the rest.
 
Best of luck and good health to all.
 

In the following photo the main topmast stay has been caught underneath the collar.  This has been fixed.

 

The rigging for bowsprit shrouds and bobstays is all rather crowded.

 

 
 

The stays, but for the main to gallant stay, are complete, but not finally tied off.   If the stays are tied off as you go, it's likely that one or more will adversely affect the tautness of the stays that have already been finished.  I suggest leaving them until all are complete but for the tying, then each one may be adjusted so that they do not have any effect on the others.   Then all are finally tied off at the same time. I hope all of this makes sense.😊
 
Good luck and good health to all.
 

 

The hearts turned out to be difficult.  I have done it in a way that is not strictly accurate. The lashing here will be tied off to the stay.  Evidently the last strand of the lashing should be seized to the penultimate one.  The way I have done it prevents an outbreak of bad temper, and I hope it will not be noticed.

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

The ratlines are finally finished. They came out quite well, but it's certainly not the most interesting thing I've ever done.  The following photos shown the port main mast shrouds.  Fortunately the other side looks much the same.
 
I hope everyone remains safe and healthy at this difficult time. 
Best wishes, Bob
 

 


 

 
 
 

Thank you Victor ! I didn't know about it, I will try ! 
Work on the Soleil Royal goes on, this time I shoudn't disapear for a few months... well, I hope !
I'm working on the decorative parts of the third deck, much time to adjust these small elements... But the result is there, it's quite good looking. The boxwood parts are 0,5mm, and they are made round on there edges. (sometimes I struggle with english language to exprim simple ideas !! 😅)
 
 
 

Time for another Ballahoo Update...
 
Well Folks.. It's nearly time for the Masts to be stepped (At looong last I hear you say) Most if not all blocks/fittings are in place on the Booms, Masts & Gaffs..  Note to other Ballahoo Builders out there I feel (Opinion btw) that the position, as per plans, of the Blocks for the Gaffs is too high giving a very steep angle which feels (again an Opinion) wrong.. You would almost be pulling the Gaff into the mast (Bow & Arrow style) as opposed to raising its peak .. I will see if I have a copy of the plan here to show what I mean (Found One, See Below)  Anyhoo .. I placed my blocks in a more central location on the Gaff..
Oh also in the photos are the Anchors and their -wait for it- Stocks !! 😇  (still waiting for the Banding material, not really surprising though to be fair)  I will 'wipe on poly' them and add any details, nails & ring etc., once my delivery arrives..
 
All The Best Folks
 
Eamonn
 
Photo Time..
 

Here's one end of the standing lift. All but the lower yards are like this.

So here's the main top yard installed

 
And a close-up of the twin chain halyards that hold it up.

Lower yards all hung, starting to do the lifts.
 

no stopping me now

first of the shrouds.....I have dyed the corel rope for the shrouds....this made the rope quite stiff but workable and will probably make the rats easier to cope with. 

Afternoon Quickie 
Cutty Sark drying her sails. In the days before becoming a tourist attraction she was a hard working vessel in the Tea and wool trade.
19” X 7”
Jim
 

Fear Nothing
HMS Dreadnought docking assisted by Tugs
14” X 10” watercolour
Jim

Minesweeping Trawlers 'Ben Dearg' and 'Cardiff Castle' return to Base. 
W/C 11” X 9”

Contact 
HMS Alisma  drops a pattern of Depth charges
w/c 11” X 9”
Jim

Update +Swordfish with Seaboots

Depot ship HMS WOLFE , two T class submarines, a TID Tug and a Rescue Tug
W/C 14” X 10”

HMS Coldstreamer A/S Trawler
jim