Beef Wellington

Glad to have you follow along Jean-Paul, I very much enjoyed reading through your QAB log, a model to aspire to.
 
Frame Installation:
 
Additional work done on the keel was some final shaping of the stern post, finishing of the keel taper, installation of the transom, and a coat of wipe on poly for protection.  One thing I have noticed with cherry is the grain can cause optical illusions.  In a couple of places I know the surface is as smooth as I can make it, but the grain makes it appear quite course still.
 
I had been working on making up the frames for some time, for many this simply requires to a frame foot to be glued to its corresponding futtock after cleaning off some areas of laser char.  Pretty simple as each has its own guideline which is well explained in the instructions.  The grooves on the assembly board needed to be filed out a little to allow the frames to be inserted, primarily due to the thickness of the wood and the slight angle introduced by the laser cutter.
 
I think this is good opportunity to share an observation about the kit.  It is definitely a well thought out design with very clear instructions, however, that does not mean that some experience is not required as I was soon to find out....I'm sharing my experience below because every other build log of this kit seems to go together without a hitch, so a little humbling that I found this so problematic.
 
First Attempt:
First off, the assembled frames were inserted and the keel glued according to the instructions making sure that frames aligned well beforehand and that the bottom of the frame floor were at the right height to sit in the keel, and best effort to keep this in a straight line as well as by eyeball trying to keep what will be the top of the frames smoothly aligned.  Everything seemed to work fine, and once the glue had had sufficient time to set, I started to fair the frames.  This is when a first inkling of problems started, I noticed that some of the frames were moving in their slots, and upon further investigation some the frames were not really secured solidly to the keel.  Although the planking will definitely add to the strength, I wasn't convinced the frames would be rigid enough to allow planks to be installed.   Given the construction method, its not possible to remove and re-glue a single frame, so the isopropyl alcohol was brought out to remove all the frames....
 

 
Second Attempt:
Upon analysis two things became clear.  I hadn't used enough glue in the joints, and that my judgement of what 'play' was needed for the frames in the build board was wrong (the instructions say that these shouldn't be too tight or too loose), but it was really only trying to go through the process of fairing that indicated what this should be.  Some tape was added as suggested in the instructions to more rigidly seat these, and the process to align and glue repeated (using more glue this time around).  Unfortunately, in the final stages of seating everything,  I somehow placed too much pressure on frame G and the result was that the frame foot broke in two places, and the small tabs on one side of the futtock popped prematurely (these are weak by design to allow easier removal at a later stage).  The isopropyl alcohol was brought out once more to remove all the frames........I don't have any photos of this, honestly I was too despondent to record it...
 
Third (and so far final attempt):
After examining the break, the cherry had broken with the grain and looked like it could be repaired.  These are delicate pieces, but I don't think will be subject to much stress once the planks are on.  The breaks were located on each side of the foot where there is a small dark element of grain, and can just be seen in photos below.  The small tabs on the futtock were also given a tiny spot of glue, and to hopefully provide a little more strength a splint was glued to the central section to absorb some of the shearing forces that will be unavoidable while fairing the frames (this is NOT glued to the actual futtock itself). 
 
So far, things seem to be back on track, and work has resumed on fairing the frames which is where things sit currently.
 

Glad to have you follow along Jean-Paul, I very much enjoyed reading through your QAB log, a model to aspire to.
 
Frame Installation:
 
Additional work done on the keel was some final shaping of the stern post, finishing of the keel taper, installation of the transom, and a coat of wipe on poly for protection.  One thing I have noticed with cherry is the grain can cause optical illusions.  In a couple of places I know the surface is as smooth as I can make it, but the grain makes it appear quite course still.
 
I had been working on making up the frames for some time, for many this simply requires to a frame foot to be glued to its corresponding futtock after cleaning off some areas of laser char.  Pretty simple as each has its own guideline which is well explained in the instructions.  The grooves on the assembly board needed to be filed out a little to allow the frames to be inserted, primarily due to the thickness of the wood and the slight angle introduced by the laser cutter.
 
I think this is good opportunity to share an observation about the kit.  It is definitely a well thought out design with very clear instructions, however, that does not mean that some experience is not required as I was soon to find out....I'm sharing my experience below because every other build log of this kit seems to go together without a hitch, so a little humbling that I found this so problematic.
 
First Attempt:
First off, the assembled frames were inserted and the keel glued according to the instructions making sure that frames aligned well beforehand and that the bottom of the frame floor were at the right height to sit in the keel, and best effort to keep this in a straight line as well as by eyeball trying to keep what will be the top of the frames smoothly aligned.  Everything seemed to work fine, and once the glue had had sufficient time to set, I started to fair the frames.  This is when a first inkling of problems started, I noticed that some of the frames were moving in their slots, and upon further investigation some the frames were not really secured solidly to the keel.  Although the planking will definitely add to the strength, I wasn't convinced the frames would be rigid enough to allow planks to be installed.   Given the construction method, its not possible to remove and re-glue a single frame, so the isopropyl alcohol was brought out to remove all the frames....
 

 
Second Attempt:
Upon analysis two things became clear.  I hadn't used enough glue in the joints, and that my judgement of what 'play' was needed for the frames in the build board was wrong (the instructions say that these shouldn't be too tight or too loose), but it was really only trying to go through the process of fairing that indicated what this should be.  Some tape was added as suggested in the instructions to more rigidly seat these, and the process to align and glue repeated (using more glue this time around).  Unfortunately, in the final stages of seating everything,  I somehow placed too much pressure on frame G and the result was that the frame foot broke in two places, and the small tabs on one side of the futtock popped prematurely (these are weak by design to allow easier removal at a later stage).  The isopropyl alcohol was brought out once more to remove all the frames........I don't have any photos of this, honestly I was too despondent to record it...
 
Third (and so far final attempt):
After examining the break, the cherry had broken with the grain and looked like it could be repaired.  These are delicate pieces, but I don't think will be subject to much stress once the planks are on.  The breaks were located on each side of the foot where there is a small dark element of grain, and can just be seen in photos below.  The small tabs on the futtock were also given a tiny spot of glue, and to hopefully provide a little more strength a splint was glued to the central section to absorb some of the shearing forces that will be unavoidable while fairing the frames (this is NOT glued to the actual futtock itself). 
 
So far, things seem to be back on track, and work has resumed on fairing the frames which is where things sit currently.
 

Glad to have you follow along Jean-Paul, I very much enjoyed reading through your QAB log, a model to aspire to.
 
Frame Installation:
 
Additional work done on the keel was some final shaping of the stern post, finishing of the keel taper, installation of the transom, and a coat of wipe on poly for protection.  One thing I have noticed with cherry is the grain can cause optical illusions.  In a couple of places I know the surface is as smooth as I can make it, but the grain makes it appear quite course still.
 
I had been working on making up the frames for some time, for many this simply requires to a frame foot to be glued to its corresponding futtock after cleaning off some areas of laser char.  Pretty simple as each has its own guideline which is well explained in the instructions.  The grooves on the assembly board needed to be filed out a little to allow the frames to be inserted, primarily due to the thickness of the wood and the slight angle introduced by the laser cutter.
 
I think this is good opportunity to share an observation about the kit.  It is definitely a well thought out design with very clear instructions, however, that does not mean that some experience is not required as I was soon to find out....I'm sharing my experience below because every other build log of this kit seems to go together without a hitch, so a little humbling that I found this so problematic.
 
First Attempt:
First off, the assembled frames were inserted and the keel glued according to the instructions making sure that frames aligned well beforehand and that the bottom of the frame floor were at the right height to sit in the keel, and best effort to keep this in a straight line as well as by eyeball trying to keep what will be the top of the frames smoothly aligned.  Everything seemed to work fine, and once the glue had had sufficient time to set, I started to fair the frames.  This is when a first inkling of problems started, I noticed that some of the frames were moving in their slots, and upon further investigation some the frames were not really secured solidly to the keel.  Although the planking will definitely add to the strength, I wasn't convinced the frames would be rigid enough to allow planks to be installed.   Given the construction method, its not possible to remove and re-glue a single frame, so the isopropyl alcohol was brought out to remove all the frames....
 

 
Second Attempt:
Upon analysis two things became clear.  I hadn't used enough glue in the joints, and that my judgement of what 'play' was needed for the frames in the build board was wrong (the instructions say that these shouldn't be too tight or too loose), but it was really only trying to go through the process of fairing that indicated what this should be.  Some tape was added as suggested in the instructions to more rigidly seat these, and the process to align and glue repeated (using more glue this time around).  Unfortunately, in the final stages of seating everything,  I somehow placed too much pressure on frame G and the result was that the frame foot broke in two places, and the small tabs on one side of the futtock popped prematurely (these are weak by design to allow easier removal at a later stage).  The isopropyl alcohol was brought out once more to remove all the frames........I don't have any photos of this, honestly I was too despondent to record it...
 
Third (and so far final attempt):
After examining the break, the cherry had broken with the grain and looked like it could be repaired.  These are delicate pieces, but I don't think will be subject to much stress once the planks are on.  The breaks were located on each side of the foot where there is a small dark element of grain, and can just be seen in photos below.  The small tabs on the futtock were also given a tiny spot of glue, and to hopefully provide a little more strength a splint was glued to the central section to absorb some of the shearing forces that will be unavoidable while fairing the frames (this is NOT glued to the actual futtock itself). 
 
So far, things seem to be back on track, and work has resumed on fairing the frames which is where things sit currently.
 

Glad to see you are working on this barge. It is really a very high quality kit with an excellent design. In addition, the assembly manual is precise and very didactic.
I'm sure you are going to have a lot of fun working on this model 😉
Happy to be able to follow  your build log !
 
 
 

Quite a bit to catch up on Pat, but as others have said your metalwork and soldering are just fantastic.  Looking forward to a few more overall beauty shots hopefully soon 🙂

Now fresh off the boat from the former USSR, replacements in resin. Turrets, funnels, torpedo boats and launches, plus smaller guns. I used some of these smaller guns on the Varyag and the quality is amazing. Only really available now in Russia I got them using the Soga Minatures website and Google translate.  
 
I have bits and pieces left over from my Varyag build, and I’m awaiting some anchors both in resin and PE. 
 
I’m actually quite excited about both my current builds. 
 
As I work in an area where I can’t work from home no virus holiday for me. It’s still a total of a winter build for both this and Zara. 

Thank you Joe and Glenn.
 
@ Glenn, It's a pity Chuck stopped supplying those tiny 3mm  black plastic hooks they were ideal for the gun tackle rigging on 1:64 scale guns. I also used them on my Cheerful build.

Cheerful side tackles.
Chuck also used to supply 3mm brass versions, but I didn't quite like those as much, and they had to be blackened.
 
Brass etched rigging hooks were supplied in the Alert kit, nicely formed, but far too large for gun rigging, and in that situation my approach would be to fake it and form hooks out of very fine eyebolts glued into the ends of the blocks.
After market brass etched hooks are supplied by the likes of Caldercraft, but again at 5mm they are too large.
 
Perhaps we should petition Chuck to start supplying them again, I've never seen any quite as fine as those little plastic ones.
 
Regards,
 
B.E.
 
 
 
 
 

Quite a bit to catch up on Pat, but as others have said your metalwork and soldering are just fantastic.  Looking forward to a few more overall beauty shots hopefully soon 🙂

Hi again folks,
 
I have been slowly progressing some more of the metal work.  first was the 'charlie noble' for the galley stove, which will be fitted just forward of the forward mast.  This was made from 3mm thin walled tubing, filed with a 'V' notch, folded/bent around a flexible internal former, then soldered.  A small piece of .6mm ID tube was also soldered into the top of the bent top to accept the rod for the 'sealing/weather flap',  this won't be fitted until much of the forward rigging has been completed.  It doesn't look it but the bent part is very nicely rounded; just a poor angle I took the shot. 

 
Now that I have made some decisions WRT to what 'may have' been fitted to meet the Contract's requirement ' to fit air shoots to the hold'.  As this was specified under 'Joiners' Work, I have decided the most likely solution will have been similar to "HMS Warrior" which were formed wooden trunks fitted to the bulkhead, with a bent metal air intake on the upper deck.  These will have had vents.outlets at the appropriate points for the Holds and probably fitted with a manually cranked ventilation unit, probably the one designed by Lang (ship's designer) himself based on the one invented by his father ( a copy of a sketch is held by the NMM.  This unit drew the air down and also worked as a 'splitter' with separate piping to various storerooms within the forward and after holds. 
 
These were usually fitted as pairs so I have decided to fit a pair forward and a pair aft.  I am assuming the reason I cannot see one in the photograph of the crew on the after upper deck, is that these intakes were fitted very close to the margin boards close to the bulwark, and as such will have been hidden behind the gun carriage in the photo.
 
I have used a plastic after-market part for the bent pipe, but I am making the base which will be inserted into the deck to hold the upper part.  The base has been made using brass thin wall tubing with an ID the same as the OD of the part.  To this, I have silver soldered a washer with the right ID to fit the tubing (using my resistance soldering vise) then turned the washer on the lathe to get approximately the right 'flange width and height.  The tubing was held in the vise at approximately the correct height while I soldered the washer; but the neck extension was parted while on the lathe to the correct height.  Once assembled I think they will look the part.  I used an after-market part simply for the sake of speed and because it had the right detail for the securing flap.
 
The photos show the parts, and 2 completed base parts (2 more made since), the soldering vise and  set-up, and the unit in the lathe ready to be turned.
 

 


cheers
 
Pat
 
 

Some small updates as I have been somewhat delayed/distracted rebuilding a new computer.
 
WRT to the Contract calling for 'Cranes" (see post #513), I decided to go with a gooseneck davit, as nothing more complicate would have been need.   The photo shows one in situ with a temporary ash bucket.  I will replace that with a metal one  (wood or canvas I think will have been burnt when removing ash with possible hot embers still in it).
 

 
I have also made a start on the bowsprit.  I have shaped it (and the combined jibbooms - but the latter broke ) and I now am in the process of adding fittings (heel stop etc) which is not shown, and starting on the ironwork.  The photos show the Bowsprit Cap in two stages of its manufacture.  I used a jig (two dowels appropriately spaced in some scrap wood to hold the brass tube while I soldered them together and added the sides, then filed them.   The first photo sows the assembly after it has been parted off with a dental cutting (separation) disk  (much stronger and better than the standard Dremel disks)). 
 
I have soldered on the base lug with two hole for the Bobstay (after hole) and for the martingale (forward hoe), and two of the side lugs for guys etc.  Two more lugs to be added, plus two 'horns' at the top for the man ropes.  The side lugs are copper wire which I am filing flat after soldering to give the impression of flat forged lugs.  Very fiddly at this scale but getting there without blowing the lot apart as I solder the lugs into drilled holes (fingers crossed  and touching wood as I say that).  I still need to work out how I will add the Jackstaff bracket; then a LOT of cleaning up before blackening.
 
The form and structure of the Cap is based on drawings by Underhill.
 
cheers
 
Pat
 

 

Hi Rob - I put a link to the main yard plan below the picture, easy to miss...
 
 
I think that gets to the art of seamanship and ship management....a longer topgallant mast would have allowed a larger sail area to be spread to harness the wind, but which (together with a little more weight) would provide more of a turning moment about the center of bouyancy.  This could be offset with more weight lower in the ship to maintain stability but that is probably the art of the true seaman to continually seek the optimal balance of speed, handling and cruising endurance for the task at hand.

Thanks Bob.  I heated the scraper with the soldering torch and then let it cool down slowly.  It seemed to make it easier to file the profile in there.  I just used it afterward with good results.
 
Now I have to take my second most hated/feared step, painting.  I am always afraid of sneezing right as I put the brush near the model 😅.  First being using CA for anything.  
 
I did add the top molding but am not so sure of my brush skills so I think I will paint the stripe before I add the lower moulding.

 
 

Thanks for all the likes, input and encouragement. I went through the NMM website to try and find that plan of the Diana Main Yard in their collections, but couldn't for the life of me track it down. Anyway - there it is in their prints site.  Given that plan is 80cm across, I make it 38.5cm across at 1:64 scale... and 24.6m across full-size (AOTS translated from 1:96 (26cm) to 1:64 measures 39cm so that's close enough for jazz). That's a serious bit of kit! A quick search tells me that Victory's main yard is around 31m (I remember last time I visited Victory being very struck with the scale of it, struck down on the ground next to Victory's hull, it runs a fair bit of the length of her (57m?) !) I'm sure in a high sea / winds, 12 metres felt like an awful lot longer to climb out.
 
A question: The TopGallant masts have different types in AOTS (called pole heads?) - what were those different pole heads (stump, common, long) for? Was it different wind conditions? Whim of the captain? 
 
Progress so far has been in bits and bobs this evening... 
 
The gratings have been sanded down to height - the following shot shows the before and after left to right... 
 

The gratings have now been fixed in place, save the one next to the capstan platform, which I've also been working on (using some boxwood from an old ruler which is being gradually repurposed for the coaming surround for the capstan platform and gangway).

I've also FINALLY completed making up the blocks and tackles for the carronades and guns on the foredeck, so those will be fully rigged by the end of tomorrow. (Trust me, that's way too repetitive for a photo...  just look back through this topic for other similar things going on)
 
I've been gradually planking the 32ft pinnace with what I think is maple veneer... It's painfully slow going, but I'm making progress slowly. Photos to follow shortly.
 
Finally, I hope no-one will object, but I figured some photos of lovely things happening in the world might encourage us all... so here is a pleasant surprise from a pot I forgot about in the corner over the winter... 

It's my day off tomorrow, so I hope to have more to share with you all then.
 
In the meantime, happy building, and God bless.
 
Rob
 

Beautiful cannon casting, Siggi! Those really are first class. And you are so fast and efficient at casting. Mine seemed to take me forever.
 
Mark

Hello,
 
and thanks for the likes. It seams that nobody knows more about the number of cannons they really used in those times. All I know is, that they sometimes reduced or increase there number. Ok, it's not now important. 
 
This afternoon we worked at the foundry. That are now nearly half of the cannons I need. So tomorrow we will cast the rest. Not all cannons are first class, but most are better then I first expected. I will cast some more cannons, so I could sort out the not so good.


 

Hello,
and many thanks for your likes and comments
 
The whole winter we had no snow, but now in spring this

I painted some of the cannons just to see how they look. You could't see much of the details without paint, it's all sparkling. 

Hi Gremreeper - Unfortunately I don't think there is a magic, secret solution to your problem.  Wood strip, even as thin as 0.5mm just wont really bend in multiple directions readily, you don't mention whether you have tried soaking the planks or not, if not, then worth a try.  Other than that, I think CaptPoison's suggestion to use a drop plank terminating in the area of the bulge is something worth pursuing.  Another option would be to try and first heat bend a strip using a hairdryer to give a strip a slight curve across the width of the plank, and then try to fit on the curve of the hull, this may be sufficient to prevent breakage.
 
And, if you haven't already, strongly recommend reading the planking tutorials as they are pretty comprehensive and provide great information on approaching this tricky step.

Interesting subject Andy, definitely want to see how this plays out.

Interesting subject Andy, definitely want to see how this plays out.

Finally!

I screwed up the oars. One of them I really got aggressive on the sanding with the Drexel and botched it pretty bad. The other was OK but I didn’t like having to use wood filler. So I decided to go with plan B. I am gluing up a couple scrap 1/16th mahogany and I’ll make the blades out of that. They are clamped up in my vise overnight. While that was setting, I looked at the rope provided and thought those ends should be whipped.

Welcome aboard Bob, and thanks for the interest from all:
 
The upside of social distancing and resting in place is that there seem to be a few more hours in the evening with no commitments.  The remaining keel sections have been installed which is a little bit of a relief as it should provide a little more strength, especially at the sternpost.  The instructions indicate the thin center keel section is a little oversized and can be trimmed at the aft end.  I'm a little concerned that for some reason I needed to shorten this to the extent that the slot for the frame is noticeably narrower than others, which will surely require some attention before frames can be attached (center of 3rd picture below).  Open to suggestions on how this slot should be widened (centered, widen forward or aft).
 

 
Its very difficult to get a sense of size from isolated photos, and it must be said that this barge at 1:24 is far from small.  In fact, from stem to stern its nearly exactly the same length as His Majesties sloop of war Snake, but significantlymore susceptible to damage..
 

Keel Assembly:
 
Firstly I want to recognize Chuck for providing amazing customer service, I'll get into details below, but suffice to say I needed a replacement sheet sent, not because it was defective, but because I messed up.  There was no charge for the replacement, great support!
 
The keel pieces have had some preliminary shaping done to them and been assembled, this was pretty much a weekends work (for me).  The plans were used to establish the various joint angles  of the bow and stern post while the glue set as there is a little play in these.  This is my first time working with cherry, and so far it seems a pleasure being easy to shape with sanding sticks.  Small guide holes have also been drilled as indicated on the plans for future mounting.
 

 
MEA CULPA - Despite clear warnings in the instructions, I was worried that the scarf joints as supplied were not sufficiently 'tight', primarily due to the edges not being perfectly 90deg because of the laser cutting through the wood sheet.  To try and 'correct' this the various faces of the scarf joint were gently sanded until these seemed much tighter.  Big mistake!!!  The result was that some of the length of the joint was lost before I knew it, and as a result, the keel was  too short.  No option but to restart...
 
With the replacement parts in hand, the scarf joints received some VERY minor tweaking to fit and plenty of glue to ensure that any joint gaps would be filled.  Once dry and cleaned up, the results are very satisfactory, which is all down to the precision of the pre-cut parts.  Pencil was used to darken the face of the joint.
 

 
The keel requires to be tapered, narrowing by about 1/5 of the keel width at the bottom on each side, this profile also follows around the stem (but stops short of the top where the profile remains square).  This has been roughly shaped at this point and will need to be fine tuned once the other structural keel pieces are glued in place to make the whole assembly stronger. 
 
The stern post also requires some subtle shaping.  Narrowing slightly at top, dictated by transom, and also narrowing at the bottom to match the rest of the keel.
 
Apologies, these aren't the best photos...

Coming back to the original question on the use of the Ensign staff, I think current Royal Navy (and probably other Commonwealth, likely all other) provides the answer.  By tradition, an ensign is flown from the ensign staff only while not underway either in harbor or at anchor together with the union jack at the for jack staff during daylight hours.  Modern ensign staffs similarly pivot per Druxey's description to avoid any entanglement with the variety of modern operations that occur in the stern area.  While underway, the ensign is flown from a different location wherever the primary mast structure is, which is both most visible and least encumbering.  Taking this practice back to the days of sail, it would seem logical to infer from this the same practice (although I suspect the ensign staff would be removed entirely while underway) and with the sea going location being flown from the gaff peak and the ensign staff lowered or stowed.

Coming back to the original question on the use of the Ensign staff, I think current Royal Navy (and probably other Commonwealth, likely all other) provides the answer.  By tradition, an ensign is flown from the ensign staff only while not underway either in harbor or at anchor together with the union jack at the for jack staff during daylight hours.  Modern ensign staffs similarly pivot per Druxey's description to avoid any entanglement with the variety of modern operations that occur in the stern area.  While underway, the ensign is flown from a different location wherever the primary mast structure is, which is both most visible and least encumbering.  Taking this practice back to the days of sail, it would seem logical to infer from this the same practice (although I suspect the ensign staff would be removed entirely while underway) and with the sea going location being flown from the gaff peak and the ensign staff lowered or stowed.