Beef Wellington

Thanks Pat, Carl, Kevin, Jean-Paul and 'the likes' for not forgetting me! 
 
Update on a modification made right back at the start of the build.  I had initially planned to add a bowsprit step to achieve 2 things: a little more 'interest' on for the upper deck for those peeking through gun ports and a more robust engineering solution to the attachment of the bowsprit.  Both of these are still valid, but a third reason has also just become apparent to make me very glad I decided to mod this.  Bottom line, I can't quite see myself moving forward and rigging 'Jason' at this point, which would still be a long way off if past progress is any indication.  However, I would like to leave that option open for the future, and this allows me keep moving forward without making any sort of final decision.
 
Some angled 'wedges' were added to the first deck frame to match the angle of the bowsprit step which was then glued into place.  A pin was then inserted at the center position of the bowsprit position.  Maybe went overboard on securing this, but don' think you can be too careful, it was pinned at the bottom, PVA glue secured to the beam, and then pinned into the beam.  While positioning all this it was important to keep checking the clearance over the figurehead, I'd worked through this already when making the original modification and luckily no further complications arose.
 

 
A hole can then simply be drilled into the end of the bowsprit, and once the aft end is appropriately angled, this sits very snuggly and securely even without glue.  The benefit is that this is removable and replaceable even with the fo'c'sl deck in place.  I've made up a 'stub' that will probably be used for now, and also a dowel that can be made into a bowsprit should I also go in that direction.  The fore bits are also now glued in position with a few other details which will likely be lost when the fo'c'sl goes on, but its fun to experiment.
 
In other news, there was some months ago an addition to the Wellington family, her name is Mazie, and shes a loveable 14 week old 'Whoodle' (Wheaton terrier/poodle mix).  While she has many particular skills, dockyard assistance is not currently one of them...

Cheers gents,
 
Small update reflecting this weekend's work.  Have been unsure what to do with the fore companion ladder and whether to include the safety lines and whether these would look right, but approaching point where decision is needed.  I seem to recall reading in TFFM that the hand ropes would have been secured to small ringbolts in the deck below (there really should be a word for the situation where you remember reading something but then are subsequently unable to find the reference when actually needed!).  Small PE ring bolts were used in the lower deck and 0.3mm line secured to them with a false splice.  RB Models stanchions were used as they seemed a little more to scale, rather than the kit supplied items which appeared too tall - these may not be completely period accurate, but are close enough to my eye. 
 
I feel there should also be something around the main hatch companion ladder, but cant quite see what this would look like, as the iron supports for the pumps are obstructions.
 
The only way I could figure out to install these was to estimate the length of line needed and then attach the ringbolts off the model to - I was anticipating many redoes here but luckily seemed to get it how I was hoping on the first attempt.  The location of the ringbolts was determined by dry fitting the companion ladder, the ladder only being finally installed once the hand ropes were all in position.
 

Nice deck and details Peter, looking great.  The balcony looks nicely to scale.

Carl - those louvres look so much better...

A manic summer which has precluded me doing much work on the model.  It has however started to rain, the nights are drawing in and I can get back to the boat.  Unfortunately I have to crack the coppering before moving onto building again....very dull.   I have been applying steadily and have, over the last week or so, cracked half of one side!  Using plenty of glue despite sealing the hull before hand and finding that acetone used with a cotton bud or wet wipe is ideal to remove the inevitable superglue oozing - seem to get build up of glue on the tweezers which also doesn't help.  
 
I'll be back when I have cracked the starboard side!  Peter 

Rob - Thank you; a small gap remains between to planks which I am mulling over what to do with, either leave as is or try and infill with a sliver of boxwood....not sure. 
 
I am coppering the hull and have heeded your advice on the facemask and acquired a vapour mask which will help.  I have started the work and am just about to position the first gore lines. I have 1x1mm beading which I will affix once the plating gets well up the sides.
 
Question: when, and with what, did you varnish the boxwood?  I don't want to damage it when I start to fiddle with fixtures and fittings so am minded to do it after the copper is complete.
 
Grateful for your distant support. 
 
As ever
 
Peter 

Looks stunning Rob, think you are now about 2yrs ahead of me 🙂  Very interested to see you approach on the head gratings.

Another little update. More work on the beakhead railings...  I've used plasticard, which I later engraved using a proxxon engraving bit to add the inset. This can be seen in the last photo of this post, with the first coat of paint on it. Hopefully this will provide a little dignity / privacy for those using the rear-most seats of ease!

 
Some deck furniture... (the hatch was made form scratch, as the kit one ended up too wide, and looked a little clunky to my eyes. I haven't decided whether I like this open or not - the captain may prefer if it's shut so he can't be overheard discussing his orders by the whole ship's company, but if I leave it open I'll add a couple of rods to represent supports. I don't need to decide now anyway. In the bottom I put a square of card, which provides a little depth, but means I don't have to make the deck opening any bigger (somewhat tricky at this stage!).
 


The balustrades aren't glued on at the moment, as I'm sure there will be all sorts of things that will be easier to do without them in place... the positioning holes are drilled, however.
 
And the beginnings of the gratings that the seats of ease sit on. The shape is quite different from the kit shape, because of all the reworks I've done, so I've begun building this shape from scratch using the AOTS diagram as a template. I'm building them upside down. I've started cutting it down, but left it slightly oversize, so I can fit it closely once it's somewhat more complete. I also want to curve it as I go... Hmm... we'll see how that turns out! It's made out of 1x1mm and 1x2mm walnut strip, so I will need to paint it.
 

More progress on the railings and the bow over the past few days. A bit more work to do yet... but progress all-the-same. It is helpful working on one end of the boat while glue sets at the other! I need to weigh Ethalion at some point to find out just how heavy it's got.

 

If you do a quick search on Badger you will find many build logs of this kit to get more information and answer your question.  Similarly there are many many build logs of other Caldercraft kits to read through.

If you do a quick search on Badger you will find many build logs of this kit to get more information and answer your question.  Similarly there are many many build logs of other Caldercraft kits to read through.

Before I embarked on this project I built a section model to see if I could fit machinery below the central walkway to operate the oars. This remains an option for this model which is why the canopy and internal hull structure is removable (see bolts in the above pics). The machinery is quite crude (I would aim to improve on that with the full model) but did demonstrate that independent control of port and starboard oars would be possible with machinery that would give an elliptical oar path with the right stroke length.
 
 
 

Several years ago (quite a few in fact...) I started building a 1:24 scale model of a reconstruction of an Athenian Trireme. The model is based on drawings produced by John Coats for building the full size reconstruction ("Olympias"). A number of trials were conducted with the ship in the 1980's, which have been published in a number of sources by the Trireme Trust. Well worth looking up. A fascinating example of experimental archaeology.
I did have a blog running to record the model build (on this site I think?) but have not updated for a long time and I think it is no longer there. I have now reduced my working hours which has given me more time to progress the model over the last few months, so I thought it would be worth restarting the blog.
I have just completed the framing for the canopy.
 

Snow just fell for the first time, one of the earliest times on record. News reports are predicting an "historic storm" in Northwest Montana. Which means, more time in the shop!
 
I just completed the black strake on the starboard side. Because the sheer line rises faster than the gundeck and therefore the ports, the black strake eventually crossed right through gunports, leaving only short pieces between ports.
 
My gunport stop jigs worked well here. Wedged into adjacent ports, this gave me the angle to sand on the Byrnes disk sander at both ends, and then I just sanded lightly at one end until the plank slid exactly into place.
 

The aftmost plank had a bit of a twist, so needed bedding down with a larger clamp across the stern.

The difference in thicknesses between the main wale and the black strake has left a gratifyingly consistent sliver of light, showing that they are parallel and not wavy relative to each other. Hopefully, the 4" plank on top of the black strake will form an equally even sliver of light.
 

 
Now if only I don't have to snowplow for too long tomorrow morning, I will start on the port side.
 
By the way, I received an important insight into animal behavior today. The ship's cat sleeps all day, except for the exact moments when I apply glue to something and need to work quickly without interruption to apply clamps. These are the exact moments when the cat wakes up and demands food. How do they know?🙂
 
Best wishes,
 
Mark
 
 
 

Bowsprit is now secured in place so I was able to do some testing rigging. I decided to make my own ropes. I rig the jib tack and jib tack guy. I have to say that I'm happy how that turned out. 
I have also experimented little bit with the pictures and the setup of taking the picture. So hopefuly There are more details visible. Still it is camera from my mobile phone so no miracles there. 

Not much to show. I'm working on the Guns. One line is ready. 

After gluing the completed square section to the mast it then became obvious that this was a rather large mistake.   Belatedly I realized that the only way the main top would fit was to slide it up from the bottom of the square section.  The crosstrees and the trestletrees are a very snug fit around the 7x7mm square.  The round section at the bottom of the mast is 8mm in diameter so no go there; the top of the square section has cleats and other bits and pieces on it so no go there either.  I then discovered that I had done a really good job of gluing the damn' thing on, but it eventually it came off.   Fortunately my 7x7mm was pretty accurate, but I suggest before doing anything make sure the cross- and trestletrees fit.  I suggest only after the top is dry-fitted should the bibbs be fitted, then the top glued in place.
 
Here is the completed square section.  The colour shown is an artifact of the light.  In the flesh it looks quite good.  The second photo does not show much detail, but the colour is fairly accurate.

 

Hello and thank you for your comments!
 
some news from Sphynx
have finished inboard planking on Quarterdeck.

Manufakturing of Planksheer:



Regards
 
Alex

Well done Chris, looks fantastic, i will nominated you for an award on the new years honours , for saving the British model producer award

Only  a tiny update as I steadily prep the masts. Mass gluing with little clamps
 

 
and then using a mill to drill the holes for the rigging in the tops. To get the hole location I traced the outer angle of the top on a piece of paper then marked the holes. I then cut the outer shape with scissors laid the template on the top and pushed through with a sharp point.
 

So I redid the bowspit. I had 'stained' the mast (as I have done with previous kits) and was not entirely delighted with the results. When stained it was a little too dark (and grubby) whereas when unstained the standard dowels where too white. After asking for some advice here I ordered some Castello boxwood (lemonwood) and  resolved to size it myself. This will be a long winded post as I intend to go into exhaustive detail into something that doesn't need it.
 
First up I cut my 1*1 sticks down to something that could be more easily sized. Here is the blank next to one of my earlier test bowsprits
 

Next I secured it on my lathe Using a 4 adjustable jaw chuck, which isn't ideal but unavoidable with a rectangular shape.
 

The next thing to have ready is the correct tool for the job. When I first sized the kit dowels I had tried to use my favourite sizing tool but it was actually a little too unweildy for the job. This time I searched for a more useful tool. At the bottom is the incorrect and the top the correct.
 

So first up is to roughly make it a cylinder larger than the thickest size using the default sizing tool (shown at the bottom of the photo)
 

 
I then thinned the end to 6mm before marking the correct locations using a pencil whilst the lathe spun slowly
 

Next up I sized the section from the end to the thickest section in the middle
 

 
Before using a fine sandpaper to improve the finish
 

 
Here is the 'finished' end
 

 
Next up I flipped the bowsprit around (the lathe is not long enough to do the entire thing in one 'sweep'
 

Though this did allow me to use the more accurate simultaneous contracting 3 jawed holder
 

Once sized down with the rough paring tool I switched to a thinner tool that allows exact lines to be created
 

 
And showing the result as the cap section is reduced
 

So here is almost the completed bowsprit
 

For the little extra bits I found using a particular tweezer style useful
 

I could then hold my finger under the wood and run a file over the end to 'angle' those bits that needed angling
 

Some did not and just needed to be rectangular for these I followed the wise rule of start large and then reduce to fit. I tended to cut with a scalpel then tidy with a file.
 

 
Next up I tried the wolding. For this kit I am using black thread for the standing rigging though I might well switch to dark brown for my next model. Anyway I am also trying to avoid my heavy use of superglue and very simple half hitches. So I will be trying to use knots in preference to glue. This may or may not work and I think the jury is out currently though I will get a better impression when some of the blocks are added
 
I started by masking taping one end of my thread to a spare area then winding the thread around
 

 
I then masking taped a section close to the off cut bit (but not near the actual end as I would need to use that)
 

 
I then took the spare end and threaded it under the existing loops and around the top loose piece before moving back again
 

And rope bit done
 

 
 
 
Shuffling around made this tidier but the extra thickness of two ropes in one section did generate a bulge. I have placed this under the jib boom so it wont be that obvious but if I repeat this process on the masts then I may cut a small groove to contain the under thread to avoid this (and help keep things tight).
 
I then gathered the relevant parts (including painted card) for the bands
 

These were cut into strips and wrapped around. The close up makes things look worse than they actually look (and next time I will paint the sides of the strips before attaching. For this I have to paint the sides carefully post install which is harder and is the next job from here)
 

 
Anyway even I am tired now. Next up I have to tidy the wolding before starting on blocks for the jib boom and bowsprit.
 
IMG_3829.CR2

Put on the bulkheads and then looked at the waterline. I have had lots of difficulties in the past but finally have a method I am comfortable with.
 
Firstly I mark onto the hull 2-3 locations taken from the plans and then use a coving laser to indicate a line between these points making sure the ship is as level as I can make it
 
I then check the indicated line by using calipers against the plan
 

 
which can then be placed directly agains the model to check the line
 

 
Finally I use masking tape to indicate the line itself as it is easier to adjust around to the shape
 

 
After that I used copper tape as an experiment. I have used it before on my Triton cross section and there had used the tape itself on one side and the tape plus paper backing on the other. Now of the two the version with the paper backing looked better but after three or so years started to come off whereas the tape on own lasted. I must admit to still not being entirely happy with the tape on own but think I can correct this later with smaller sections. My process here was to make a little jig to mark the plate size and to cut a strip of copper. I then used the jig to score the copper with the back of a scalpel. Once done I then used a ponce wheel to mark down the left and bottom sides of the plate. When attaching I eventually worked out it was better to keep continuous pressure and push down with the other hand. Any looseness causes slight wrinkles.
 
My photos of that were not good so I will try and generate some better ones later. After this I have just started on the planking and here is a 'moody' (read unfocsed) shot of the deck with some king planks I had just cut. You will notice the lines across the deck, these approximate to the expected locations of the beams.
 

 
I will do another post soon on the deck planking plan. Cheers for reading
 

Just a short posting from captain Slow 🙂. The shipyard activity has been low the last couple of weeks due to summer vacation with my family. First planking on on port side is almost finished and starboard (not show on this picture) is done 2/3.

Regards
 
Henrik

Time runs and it is now two weeks since I last did a post. First planking is still going on and will so for another couple of weeks. Some parts of the build result I am very happy about and others not. In general planking towards the aft looks a lot better than at the bow. The bow can be saved by filler and sanding but before that I will not show any pictures of the bow. That would be too embarrassing 😐. Instead I would like share some thoughts which came up yesterday about this problem.
 
Planking of the a hull of the size of Agamemnon has its challenges but also advantages. One row of planks stretches for about 850 mm. My apologies for not translating into imperial units 🙂. I have not got a clue. I have divided this length into typically three strips of alternating lengths. A 200-300 mm long strip is easy to handle and can be shaped and bent in practical way. Yesterday I started thinking why do the bow look so crappy when aft looks so good? My explanation is that I have started planking from bow to aft. When I come to the aft I tend to better see how each individual strip should be tapered  taking into account the natural curves of the hull. The first strip in a new planking "row" starting in the bow is difficult to get in a correct shape with correct tapering and stealers put in where they should be. I have therefore started planking from midships and going from there aft and towards the bow. The result after that change in planking approach  is much better!
 
In the meantime I will consider stripping off the worst part of the bow and as you can see on the second picture planking is closing in on the rudder post Ouhhhh!
 
Kind regards
 
Henrik