Beef Wellington

I really have no excuse for buying, let alone starting this kit as I have plenty going on I my current builds.  However, everytime I wandered over to the Syren Ship Model website to buy sundery items, this kit stared back longingly at me, and sadly up to now was 'out of stock'.  Fortuitously on the last visit, there was one in stock and I just couldn't resist, after all, it couldn't hurt could it?  Well, the package has arrived and despite my best efforts to leave the box closed (about 5 minutes), the genie is out of the bottle.
 
This will most definitely be a side project, and it will finally be nice to be able to follow some very good instructions and build a very nice looking model out of the box.  Hopefully this will be a nice diversion to 'Jason' which seems to be anything but.
 
I hope that I'm up to this challenge, I can certainly appreciate the reasons why this is classified as a more advanced kit.  Progress will be slow.  I'm not planning on this being the most extensive build log, but will likely post progress pictures and ask questions as I go...

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...

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...

Looking good, those close up shots show off your really fine planking Vane, well done.  You seem to have got some really sharp square corners which makes all the difference.

Alot of fitting, filing and sanding... innerwalls, and gunports finally done! This will never be perfect, just need to work untill u think its good enough for your build. Next step is to do some black airbrushing and then I plan to start with the copper.

Good choice BE, there was a less standardization of the flag of St Andrew, with colour even varying significantly today.  Going with your selection will give a more period feel right off the bat.  Interested to see how you tackle this.
 
The proportion of the size of the Jack is interesting and seems odd.  Given this would only be flown in harbor/at anchor, it seems way oversized compared to the Harbour Ensign.  I'm assuming both would have been flown from a staff (?)

Good choice BE, there was a less standardization of the flag of St Andrew, with colour even varying significantly today.  Going with your selection will give a more period feel right off the bat.  Interested to see how you tackle this.
 
The proportion of the size of the Jack is interesting and seems odd.  Given this would only be flown in harbor/at anchor, it seems way oversized compared to the Harbour Ensign.  I'm assuming both would have been flown from a staff (?)

Post 81
 
A question of Ensigns
 
I like to add an Ensign to a model it adds a splash of colour and making flags and getting them to hang realistically is an interesting exercise.
 
One thing that has puzzled me in relation to the Hawke model is the Union flag at its peak.
We know that the rigging of Hawke is original, but a question mark hangs over identification of the model.
 
There is no Naval cutter named Hawke listed, and perhaps the absence of a Naval Ensign is another indicator.
 
The NMM has described it as a Revenue cutter.

 
Revenue cutters did have their own ensign dating from 1694 – a Red Ensign defaced with a ‘castellated gateway’ badge. (1707-1784)   
 
Alert, however, was certainly a Naval Cutter and an ensign is appropriate.
 
Alert was attached to the Squadron commanded by Admiral Augustus Keppel, Admiral of the White, so a White Ensign it is.
 
Unusual in modelling, Roger Cole in his build of Alert goes into some detail about flag sizes.
 
Alert would have carried a complement of five different size ensigns or flags ranging from her number one, down through number four, plus a Jack.
 
 In size, the fly of the number one was generally about equivalent to the molded beam of the vessel, the hoist was 5/9ths of the fly at this time.
 
 The other ensigns were proportional and stepped down where the hoist of one became the length of the fly on the next smaller ensign.
 
The Jack was equal to the canton of the largest ensign.
 
https://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/Cole.htm
 
 
Given that the beam of Alert was 25’10” (The fly) the hoist would be 14’ 4” quite a large flag for a cutter.
At scale this would be 123mm (fly) 68.26mm (hoist)
 
Using these proportions, I scaled out the ensigns;
 
The Number one or Battle Ensign does look huge in relation to the model, but the Number two looks a tad small for the model display purposes.
 
No 1 - Battle Ensign

 
No 2 Ensign – General Service

 
No 3 – Storm Ensign

 
No 4 – Harbour Ensign.

 
Jack

 
Many contemporary paintings show the Union flag with a narrower diagonal white cross representing the Scottish saltire. The ground of the flag is also shown as a much darker blue.
 

I have adopted this design which I prefer to the broader white cross and brighter blue ground of many of the commercially available Ensigns.
 
 
The trick now is to reproduce this as a viable Ensign which will be the subject of my next post.
 
 
B.E.
20/03/2020
 

Floors in.  Had to keep sanding down the frames until it fit at the appropriate level.  Fitting the very fore floor was the most difficult part but went smoothly.
 

 
 
Going to WOP the floors and let dry overnight.
 
Deo Volente
 

Greetings all,
 
Really is time I got back to finish Snake, time just flies, and incredible that my last update was July 2015!  .  Firstly, she's been staring at me from across the room and I can't avert my eyes any longer from embarrassment with her so neglected.  Secondly, I feel I really need to finish her to be able to hold my head up on this forum by having actually completed something, and thirdly, there are some things I need to contemplate on 'Jason' and skills to hone before I move forward.
 
I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a challenge getting going again, there are many things about her that I'm not too happy with, but recognize that this is still a first build using kit supplied parts so just need to be happy with it.  One trick I've found to reduce 'fuzzies' is simply to use a brush to stroke warm water onto the line.  I've tried bees wax, but from my experience it just seemed to result in dandruff!
 
So what exactly has been done:
Rigging on the foremast has completed for now to include the sheets and clew-line Main mast yards are installed and similarly completed (some lines that belay outside of the line of the main shroud are being left for now to give more room to access the mizzen mast area) Much rework has been done in the completion of the above tasks, which certainly slowed progress, including: Re-rigging many of the horses in situ, trying to give them a little more 'slack' Definitely a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back picking this back up.  The dexterity needed to navigate around the increasingly catch prone pointy bits eluded me, and for every yard rigged it seemed I had to re-strop a block that slipped loose as a result of unwanted contact with a spar or line.  Thankfully nothing wooden has broken.  Putting a positive spin on this, it definitely required honing of skills - the most aggravating and challenging fix was probably the violin block for the fore mainyard lift (photo below).  This was re-stropped in situ and required keeping the existing lines suitably taught and navigating around the existing rigging- despite some rather salty language, this was honestly a bit of a boost after recognizing that if that was possible, pretty much anything can be fixed.  (Seizing black thread around black line against the black woodwork proved too much for the eye...)    
Finally where things stand.  I'm standing by the decision to rig starting with forward masts and moving aft, going from lower to upper.  Suspect next up will be the spanker and gaff before installing the cross-jack.  
 

Lotsa progress on the model over last few days.  I added some WOP last night and the cherry really does look nice.
 

 
Tried some test nails just to see how deep I had to drill.  Seemed pretty straightforward.  Also added some Windsor & Newton crimson in 2 quick coats just to see what it looked like.  No real prep of the surface just a quick color check
 

Greetings all,
 
Really is time I got back to finish Snake, time just flies, and incredible that my last update was July 2015!  .  Firstly, she's been staring at me from across the room and I can't avert my eyes any longer from embarrassment with her so neglected.  Secondly, I feel I really need to finish her to be able to hold my head up on this forum by having actually completed something, and thirdly, there are some things I need to contemplate on 'Jason' and skills to hone before I move forward.
 
I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a challenge getting going again, there are many things about her that I'm not too happy with, but recognize that this is still a first build using kit supplied parts so just need to be happy with it.  One trick I've found to reduce 'fuzzies' is simply to use a brush to stroke warm water onto the line.  I've tried bees wax, but from my experience it just seemed to result in dandruff!
 
So what exactly has been done:
Rigging on the foremast has completed for now to include the sheets and clew-line Main mast yards are installed and similarly completed (some lines that belay outside of the line of the main shroud are being left for now to give more room to access the mizzen mast area) Much rework has been done in the completion of the above tasks, which certainly slowed progress, including: Re-rigging many of the horses in situ, trying to give them a little more 'slack' Definitely a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back picking this back up.  The dexterity needed to navigate around the increasingly catch prone pointy bits eluded me, and for every yard rigged it seemed I had to re-strop a block that slipped loose as a result of unwanted contact with a spar or line.  Thankfully nothing wooden has broken.  Putting a positive spin on this, it definitely required honing of skills - the most aggravating and challenging fix was probably the violin block for the fore mainyard lift (photo below).  This was re-stropped in situ and required keeping the existing lines suitably taught and navigating around the existing rigging- despite some rather salty language, this was honestly a bit of a boost after recognizing that if that was possible, pretty much anything can be fixed.  (Seizing black thread around black line against the black woodwork proved too much for the eye...)    
Finally where things stand.  I'm standing by the decision to rig starting with forward masts and moving aft, going from lower to upper.  Suspect next up will be the spanker and gaff before installing the cross-jack.  
 

Greetings all,
 
Really is time I got back to finish Snake, time just flies, and incredible that my last update was July 2015!  .  Firstly, she's been staring at me from across the room and I can't avert my eyes any longer from embarrassment with her so neglected.  Secondly, I feel I really need to finish her to be able to hold my head up on this forum by having actually completed something, and thirdly, there are some things I need to contemplate on 'Jason' and skills to hone before I move forward.
 
I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a challenge getting going again, there are many things about her that I'm not too happy with, but recognize that this is still a first build using kit supplied parts so just need to be happy with it.  One trick I've found to reduce 'fuzzies' is simply to use a brush to stroke warm water onto the line.  I've tried bees wax, but from my experience it just seemed to result in dandruff!
 
So what exactly has been done:
Rigging on the foremast has completed for now to include the sheets and clew-line Main mast yards are installed and similarly completed (some lines that belay outside of the line of the main shroud are being left for now to give more room to access the mizzen mast area) Much rework has been done in the completion of the above tasks, which certainly slowed progress, including: Re-rigging many of the horses in situ, trying to give them a little more 'slack' Definitely a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back picking this back up.  The dexterity needed to navigate around the increasingly catch prone pointy bits eluded me, and for every yard rigged it seemed I had to re-strop a block that slipped loose as a result of unwanted contact with a spar or line.  Thankfully nothing wooden has broken.  Putting a positive spin on this, it definitely required honing of skills - the most aggravating and challenging fix was probably the violin block for the fore mainyard lift (photo below).  This was re-stropped in situ and required keeping the existing lines suitably taught and navigating around the existing rigging- despite some rather salty language, this was honestly a bit of a boost after recognizing that if that was possible, pretty much anything can be fixed.  (Seizing black thread around black line against the black woodwork proved too much for the eye...)    
Finally where things stand.  I'm standing by the decision to rig starting with forward masts and moving aft, going from lower to upper.  Suspect next up will be the spanker and gaff before installing the cross-jack.  
 

Greetings all,
 
Really is time I got back to finish Snake, time just flies, and incredible that my last update was July 2015!  .  Firstly, she's been staring at me from across the room and I can't avert my eyes any longer from embarrassment with her so neglected.  Secondly, I feel I really need to finish her to be able to hold my head up on this forum by having actually completed something, and thirdly, there are some things I need to contemplate on 'Jason' and skills to hone before I move forward.
 
I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a challenge getting going again, there are many things about her that I'm not too happy with, but recognize that this is still a first build using kit supplied parts so just need to be happy with it.  One trick I've found to reduce 'fuzzies' is simply to use a brush to stroke warm water onto the line.  I've tried bees wax, but from my experience it just seemed to result in dandruff!
 
So what exactly has been done:
Rigging on the foremast has completed for now to include the sheets and clew-line Main mast yards are installed and similarly completed (some lines that belay outside of the line of the main shroud are being left for now to give more room to access the mizzen mast area) Much rework has been done in the completion of the above tasks, which certainly slowed progress, including: Re-rigging many of the horses in situ, trying to give them a little more 'slack' Definitely a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back picking this back up.  The dexterity needed to navigate around the increasingly catch prone pointy bits eluded me, and for every yard rigged it seemed I had to re-strop a block that slipped loose as a result of unwanted contact with a spar or line.  Thankfully nothing wooden has broken.  Putting a positive spin on this, it definitely required honing of skills - the most aggravating and challenging fix was probably the violin block for the fore mainyard lift (photo below).  This was re-stropped in situ and required keeping the existing lines suitably taught and navigating around the existing rigging- despite some rather salty language, this was honestly a bit of a boost after recognizing that if that was possible, pretty much anything can be fixed.  (Seizing black thread around black line against the black woodwork proved too much for the eye...)    
Finally where things stand.  I'm standing by the decision to rig starting with forward masts and moving aft, going from lower to upper.  Suspect next up will be the spanker and gaff before installing the cross-jack.  
 

Greetings all,
 
Really is time I got back to finish Snake, time just flies, and incredible that my last update was July 2015!  .  Firstly, she's been staring at me from across the room and I can't avert my eyes any longer from embarrassment with her so neglected.  Secondly, I feel I really need to finish her to be able to hold my head up on this forum by having actually completed something, and thirdly, there are some things I need to contemplate on 'Jason' and skills to hone before I move forward.
 
I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a challenge getting going again, there are many things about her that I'm not too happy with, but recognize that this is still a first build using kit supplied parts so just need to be happy with it.  One trick I've found to reduce 'fuzzies' is simply to use a brush to stroke warm water onto the line.  I've tried bees wax, but from my experience it just seemed to result in dandruff!
 
So what exactly has been done:
Rigging on the foremast has completed for now to include the sheets and clew-line Main mast yards are installed and similarly completed (some lines that belay outside of the line of the main shroud are being left for now to give more room to access the mizzen mast area) Much rework has been done in the completion of the above tasks, which certainly slowed progress, including: Re-rigging many of the horses in situ, trying to give them a little more 'slack' Definitely a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back picking this back up.  The dexterity needed to navigate around the increasingly catch prone pointy bits eluded me, and for every yard rigged it seemed I had to re-strop a block that slipped loose as a result of unwanted contact with a spar or line.  Thankfully nothing wooden has broken.  Putting a positive spin on this, it definitely required honing of skills - the most aggravating and challenging fix was probably the violin block for the fore mainyard lift (photo below).  This was re-stropped in situ and required keeping the existing lines suitably taught and navigating around the existing rigging- despite some rather salty language, this was honestly a bit of a boost after recognizing that if that was possible, pretty much anything can be fixed.  (Seizing black thread around black line against the black woodwork proved too much for the eye...)    
Finally where things stand.  I'm standing by the decision to rig starting with forward masts and moving aft, going from lower to upper.  Suspect next up will be the spanker and gaff before installing the cross-jack.  
 

Greetings all,
 
Really is time I got back to finish Snake, time just flies, and incredible that my last update was July 2015!  .  Firstly, she's been staring at me from across the room and I can't avert my eyes any longer from embarrassment with her so neglected.  Secondly, I feel I really need to finish her to be able to hold my head up on this forum by having actually completed something, and thirdly, there are some things I need to contemplate on 'Jason' and skills to hone before I move forward.
 
I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a challenge getting going again, there are many things about her that I'm not too happy with, but recognize that this is still a first build using kit supplied parts so just need to be happy with it.  One trick I've found to reduce 'fuzzies' is simply to use a brush to stroke warm water onto the line.  I've tried bees wax, but from my experience it just seemed to result in dandruff!
 
So what exactly has been done:
Rigging on the foremast has completed for now to include the sheets and clew-line Main mast yards are installed and similarly completed (some lines that belay outside of the line of the main shroud are being left for now to give more room to access the mizzen mast area) Much rework has been done in the completion of the above tasks, which certainly slowed progress, including: Re-rigging many of the horses in situ, trying to give them a little more 'slack' Definitely a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back picking this back up.  The dexterity needed to navigate around the increasingly catch prone pointy bits eluded me, and for every yard rigged it seemed I had to re-strop a block that slipped loose as a result of unwanted contact with a spar or line.  Thankfully nothing wooden has broken.  Putting a positive spin on this, it definitely required honing of skills - the most aggravating and challenging fix was probably the violin block for the fore mainyard lift (photo below).  This was re-stropped in situ and required keeping the existing lines suitably taught and navigating around the existing rigging- despite some rather salty language, this was honestly a bit of a boost after recognizing that if that was possible, pretty much anything can be fixed.  (Seizing black thread around black line against the black woodwork proved too much for the eye...)    
Finally where things stand.  I'm standing by the decision to rig starting with forward masts and moving aft, going from lower to upper.  Suspect next up will be the spanker and gaff before installing the cross-jack.  
 

Greetings all,
 
Really is time I got back to finish Snake, time just flies, and incredible that my last update was July 2015!  .  Firstly, she's been staring at me from across the room and I can't avert my eyes any longer from embarrassment with her so neglected.  Secondly, I feel I really need to finish her to be able to hold my head up on this forum by having actually completed something, and thirdly, there are some things I need to contemplate on 'Jason' and skills to hone before I move forward.
 
I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a challenge getting going again, there are many things about her that I'm not too happy with, but recognize that this is still a first build using kit supplied parts so just need to be happy with it.  One trick I've found to reduce 'fuzzies' is simply to use a brush to stroke warm water onto the line.  I've tried bees wax, but from my experience it just seemed to result in dandruff!
 
So what exactly has been done:
Rigging on the foremast has completed for now to include the sheets and clew-line Main mast yards are installed and similarly completed (some lines that belay outside of the line of the main shroud are being left for now to give more room to access the mizzen mast area) Much rework has been done in the completion of the above tasks, which certainly slowed progress, including: Re-rigging many of the horses in situ, trying to give them a little more 'slack' Definitely a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back picking this back up.  The dexterity needed to navigate around the increasingly catch prone pointy bits eluded me, and for every yard rigged it seemed I had to re-strop a block that slipped loose as a result of unwanted contact with a spar or line.  Thankfully nothing wooden has broken.  Putting a positive spin on this, it definitely required honing of skills - the most aggravating and challenging fix was probably the violin block for the fore mainyard lift (photo below).  This was re-stropped in situ and required keeping the existing lines suitably taught and navigating around the existing rigging- despite some rather salty language, this was honestly a bit of a boost after recognizing that if that was possible, pretty much anything can be fixed.  (Seizing black thread around black line against the black woodwork proved too much for the eye...)    
Finally where things stand.  I'm standing by the decision to rig starting with forward masts and moving aft, going from lower to upper.  Suspect next up will be the spanker and gaff before installing the cross-jack.  
 

Greetings all,
 
Really is time I got back to finish Snake, time just flies, and incredible that my last update was July 2015!  .  Firstly, she's been staring at me from across the room and I can't avert my eyes any longer from embarrassment with her so neglected.  Secondly, I feel I really need to finish her to be able to hold my head up on this forum by having actually completed something, and thirdly, there are some things I need to contemplate on 'Jason' and skills to hone before I move forward.
 
I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a challenge getting going again, there are many things about her that I'm not too happy with, but recognize that this is still a first build using kit supplied parts so just need to be happy with it.  One trick I've found to reduce 'fuzzies' is simply to use a brush to stroke warm water onto the line.  I've tried bees wax, but from my experience it just seemed to result in dandruff!
 
So what exactly has been done:
Rigging on the foremast has completed for now to include the sheets and clew-line Main mast yards are installed and similarly completed (some lines that belay outside of the line of the main shroud are being left for now to give more room to access the mizzen mast area) Much rework has been done in the completion of the above tasks, which certainly slowed progress, including: Re-rigging many of the horses in situ, trying to give them a little more 'slack' Definitely a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back picking this back up.  The dexterity needed to navigate around the increasingly catch prone pointy bits eluded me, and for every yard rigged it seemed I had to re-strop a block that slipped loose as a result of unwanted contact with a spar or line.  Thankfully nothing wooden has broken.  Putting a positive spin on this, it definitely required honing of skills - the most aggravating and challenging fix was probably the violin block for the fore mainyard lift (photo below).  This was re-stropped in situ and required keeping the existing lines suitably taught and navigating around the existing rigging- despite some rather salty language, this was honestly a bit of a boost after recognizing that if that was possible, pretty much anything can be fixed.  (Seizing black thread around black line against the black woodwork proved too much for the eye...)    
Finally where things stand.  I'm standing by the decision to rig starting with forward masts and moving aft, going from lower to upper.  Suspect next up will be the spanker and gaff before installing the cross-jack.  
 

Greetings all,
 
Really is time I got back to finish Snake, time just flies, and incredible that my last update was July 2015!  .  Firstly, she's been staring at me from across the room and I can't avert my eyes any longer from embarrassment with her so neglected.  Secondly, I feel I really need to finish her to be able to hold my head up on this forum by having actually completed something, and thirdly, there are some things I need to contemplate on 'Jason' and skills to hone before I move forward.
 
I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a challenge getting going again, there are many things about her that I'm not too happy with, but recognize that this is still a first build using kit supplied parts so just need to be happy with it.  One trick I've found to reduce 'fuzzies' is simply to use a brush to stroke warm water onto the line.  I've tried bees wax, but from my experience it just seemed to result in dandruff!
 
So what exactly has been done:
Rigging on the foremast has completed for now to include the sheets and clew-line Main mast yards are installed and similarly completed (some lines that belay outside of the line of the main shroud are being left for now to give more room to access the mizzen mast area) Much rework has been done in the completion of the above tasks, which certainly slowed progress, including: Re-rigging many of the horses in situ, trying to give them a little more 'slack' Definitely a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back picking this back up.  The dexterity needed to navigate around the increasingly catch prone pointy bits eluded me, and for every yard rigged it seemed I had to re-strop a block that slipped loose as a result of unwanted contact with a spar or line.  Thankfully nothing wooden has broken.  Putting a positive spin on this, it definitely required honing of skills - the most aggravating and challenging fix was probably the violin block for the fore mainyard lift (photo below).  This was re-stropped in situ and required keeping the existing lines suitably taught and navigating around the existing rigging- despite some rather salty language, this was honestly a bit of a boost after recognizing that if that was possible, pretty much anything can be fixed.  (Seizing black thread around black line against the black woodwork proved too much for the eye...)    
Finally where things stand.  I'm standing by the decision to rig starting with forward masts and moving aft, going from lower to upper.  Suspect next up will be the spanker and gaff before installing the cross-jack.  
 

Greetings all,
 
Really is time I got back to finish Snake, time just flies, and incredible that my last update was July 2015!  .  Firstly, she's been staring at me from across the room and I can't avert my eyes any longer from embarrassment with her so neglected.  Secondly, I feel I really need to finish her to be able to hold my head up on this forum by having actually completed something, and thirdly, there are some things I need to contemplate on 'Jason' and skills to hone before I move forward.
 
I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a challenge getting going again, there are many things about her that I'm not too happy with, but recognize that this is still a first build using kit supplied parts so just need to be happy with it.  One trick I've found to reduce 'fuzzies' is simply to use a brush to stroke warm water onto the line.  I've tried bees wax, but from my experience it just seemed to result in dandruff!
 
So what exactly has been done:
Rigging on the foremast has completed for now to include the sheets and clew-line Main mast yards are installed and similarly completed (some lines that belay outside of the line of the main shroud are being left for now to give more room to access the mizzen mast area) Much rework has been done in the completion of the above tasks, which certainly slowed progress, including: Re-rigging many of the horses in situ, trying to give them a little more 'slack' Definitely a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back picking this back up.  The dexterity needed to navigate around the increasingly catch prone pointy bits eluded me, and for every yard rigged it seemed I had to re-strop a block that slipped loose as a result of unwanted contact with a spar or line.  Thankfully nothing wooden has broken.  Putting a positive spin on this, it definitely required honing of skills - the most aggravating and challenging fix was probably the violin block for the fore mainyard lift (photo below).  This was re-stropped in situ and required keeping the existing lines suitably taught and navigating around the existing rigging- despite some rather salty language, this was honestly a bit of a boost after recognizing that if that was possible, pretty much anything can be fixed.  (Seizing black thread around black line against the black woodwork proved too much for the eye...)    
Finally where things stand.  I'm standing by the decision to rig starting with forward masts and moving aft, going from lower to upper.  Suspect next up will be the spanker and gaff before installing the cross-jack.  
 

Greetings all,
 
Really is time I got back to finish Snake, time just flies, and incredible that my last update was July 2015!  .  Firstly, she's been staring at me from across the room and I can't avert my eyes any longer from embarrassment with her so neglected.  Secondly, I feel I really need to finish her to be able to hold my head up on this forum by having actually completed something, and thirdly, there are some things I need to contemplate on 'Jason' and skills to hone before I move forward.
 
I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a challenge getting going again, there are many things about her that I'm not too happy with, but recognize that this is still a first build using kit supplied parts so just need to be happy with it.  One trick I've found to reduce 'fuzzies' is simply to use a brush to stroke warm water onto the line.  I've tried bees wax, but from my experience it just seemed to result in dandruff!
 
So what exactly has been done:
Rigging on the foremast has completed for now to include the sheets and clew-line Main mast yards are installed and similarly completed (some lines that belay outside of the line of the main shroud are being left for now to give more room to access the mizzen mast area) Much rework has been done in the completion of the above tasks, which certainly slowed progress, including: Re-rigging many of the horses in situ, trying to give them a little more 'slack' Definitely a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back picking this back up.  The dexterity needed to navigate around the increasingly catch prone pointy bits eluded me, and for every yard rigged it seemed I had to re-strop a block that slipped loose as a result of unwanted contact with a spar or line.  Thankfully nothing wooden has broken.  Putting a positive spin on this, it definitely required honing of skills - the most aggravating and challenging fix was probably the violin block for the fore mainyard lift (photo below).  This was re-stropped in situ and required keeping the existing lines suitably taught and navigating around the existing rigging- despite some rather salty language, this was honestly a bit of a boost after recognizing that if that was possible, pretty much anything can be fixed.  (Seizing black thread around black line against the black woodwork proved too much for the eye...)    
Finally where things stand.  I'm standing by the decision to rig starting with forward masts and moving aft, going from lower to upper.  Suspect next up will be the spanker and gaff before installing the cross-jack.  
 

Greetings all,
 
Really is time I got back to finish Snake, time just flies, and incredible that my last update was July 2015!  .  Firstly, she's been staring at me from across the room and I can't avert my eyes any longer from embarrassment with her so neglected.  Secondly, I feel I really need to finish her to be able to hold my head up on this forum by having actually completed something, and thirdly, there are some things I need to contemplate on 'Jason' and skills to hone before I move forward.
 
I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a challenge getting going again, there are many things about her that I'm not too happy with, but recognize that this is still a first build using kit supplied parts so just need to be happy with it.  One trick I've found to reduce 'fuzzies' is simply to use a brush to stroke warm water onto the line.  I've tried bees wax, but from my experience it just seemed to result in dandruff!
 
So what exactly has been done:
Rigging on the foremast has completed for now to include the sheets and clew-line Main mast yards are installed and similarly completed (some lines that belay outside of the line of the main shroud are being left for now to give more room to access the mizzen mast area) Much rework has been done in the completion of the above tasks, which certainly slowed progress, including: Re-rigging many of the horses in situ, trying to give them a little more 'slack' Definitely a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back picking this back up.  The dexterity needed to navigate around the increasingly catch prone pointy bits eluded me, and for every yard rigged it seemed I had to re-strop a block that slipped loose as a result of unwanted contact with a spar or line.  Thankfully nothing wooden has broken.  Putting a positive spin on this, it definitely required honing of skills - the most aggravating and challenging fix was probably the violin block for the fore mainyard lift (photo below).  This was re-stropped in situ and required keeping the existing lines suitably taught and navigating around the existing rigging- despite some rather salty language, this was honestly a bit of a boost after recognizing that if that was possible, pretty much anything can be fixed.  (Seizing black thread around black line against the black woodwork proved too much for the eye...)    
Finally where things stand.  I'm standing by the decision to rig starting with forward masts and moving aft, going from lower to upper.  Suspect next up will be the spanker and gaff before installing the cross-jack.  
 

Greetings all,
 
Really is time I got back to finish Snake, time just flies, and incredible that my last update was July 2015!  .  Firstly, she's been staring at me from across the room and I can't avert my eyes any longer from embarrassment with her so neglected.  Secondly, I feel I really need to finish her to be able to hold my head up on this forum by having actually completed something, and thirdly, there are some things I need to contemplate on 'Jason' and skills to hone before I move forward.
 
I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a challenge getting going again, there are many things about her that I'm not too happy with, but recognize that this is still a first build using kit supplied parts so just need to be happy with it.  One trick I've found to reduce 'fuzzies' is simply to use a brush to stroke warm water onto the line.  I've tried bees wax, but from my experience it just seemed to result in dandruff!
 
So what exactly has been done:
Rigging on the foremast has completed for now to include the sheets and clew-line Main mast yards are installed and similarly completed (some lines that belay outside of the line of the main shroud are being left for now to give more room to access the mizzen mast area) Much rework has been done in the completion of the above tasks, which certainly slowed progress, including: Re-rigging many of the horses in situ, trying to give them a little more 'slack' Definitely a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back picking this back up.  The dexterity needed to navigate around the increasingly catch prone pointy bits eluded me, and for every yard rigged it seemed I had to re-strop a block that slipped loose as a result of unwanted contact with a spar or line.  Thankfully nothing wooden has broken.  Putting a positive spin on this, it definitely required honing of skills - the most aggravating and challenging fix was probably the violin block for the fore mainyard lift (photo below).  This was re-stropped in situ and required keeping the existing lines suitably taught and navigating around the existing rigging- despite some rather salty language, this was honestly a bit of a boost after recognizing that if that was possible, pretty much anything can be fixed.  (Seizing black thread around black line against the black woodwork proved too much for the eye...)    
Finally where things stand.  I'm standing by the decision to rig starting with forward masts and moving aft, going from lower to upper.  Suspect next up will be the spanker and gaff before installing the cross-jack.  
 

Very very nice work  - cant beat frigates.
 
OC.

Hola mis amigos.