Beef Wellington

Build log part 60...
 
Update,
making the "collapsible" lifeboats...
These are shorter, flatter and a bit narrower than the larger lifeboats. The appearance is more that of a "river barge", but the capacity is just like the that of the larger boats. The hardshell-part untill slightly above the waterline is made in wood, and clinker planked. The side flexible textile / canvas bulwark is shown in collapsed mode, in order to staple two or three boats under the last pair of davits in the total boats row.
 
The raw mini models (I´m doing 6 of them) are made in the well proven way with silicone mold and resin castings......
 
Nils
 

Shape of the collapsible boats, (here still without shaped interior area)
 
 

"Clinker planking" resembled with 3mm wide stripes of aluminium foil
 

tapering the the overlapping stripes to the ends
 

making a mold for the outer shape hull
 

here the plug for the outer shape
 

Here the plug for the interior shape
 
 

This is the second plug for the interior contours of the boat, resin cast in between outer skin and interior plug
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

raw, collapsible boat compared with the size of the the larger boats
 
 

 
result : raw cast boat hull....
 
 

three story high, will put some additional spacer / supporting lugs under second and third boat
 
 
 
 

Build log part 59...
 
Update :
 
for those fellow builders who frequently catching up on the status,.... I put in some overall shots....
The 4 open lifeboats are rigged, they are also equiped with oars (only rudderblades still missing). The two smaller boats will be in the same paint scheme, but without lifelines, as that is too much straining for eyes and hands. The remaining closed boats are waiting for the lifelines to be attached, refer to the pic for one first sample. I decided not to lash on seperate protection covers (canvas)
 
Nils
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

the oars are stored on the oposite side to where passengers would step into the boats
 

The two open boats on the left of the pic have appr. 5 mm less length and a lower sheerboard, they will match in color scheme
The "hard cover" shown here on the sample "closed boat" will be the protection canvas, no seperate lashings under and around the boat.
 
 

 
 

these are the two smaller (shorter) open, also clinkered double ender boats, that fit into the row of 10 boats per ships side with the others. These boats claim to be 1:144 scale, the figurines are 1:160, but I feel they match together perfectly
 
 
 
 

Update...
 
the first open port side boat has been set in place and rigged with the forward pulley. I think I`ll have the two first boats of each side in the open mode, as well as the third boats (also open), but they are a bit smaller, like on the actual ship. The blocks (3mm double sheave ) are out of Chuck`s production, I saved them up at the time he still was producing pear blocks in that size for this application.
All paint touch ups will be done after all the boats are rigged
 
Nils
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Rob,
excellent looking solution with the boat covers.....
 
Nils

Small update....
 
I`m still looking for a suitable set of steering wheels in scale 1:144......
Have made the two bearing compasses for the outer end bridge wings, the two machine telegraphs, and the main bridge compass-column with it`s trimming magnets for nautical alignment setting
 
Nils
 

 
 

Thank you guys.
To sailor123456789 - maybe help you tne next pictures.
All parts are now installed on the deck, I added the rest of deck beams and the quarter deck is prepared for planking.

Thank you.
After longer break a little step forward.

Born out of a brain fart while joking around in the german forum, a crazy idea became reality and within 12 hours more than 12 people already wanted to take part in it.
Soon later we had 20 pirates from all over Germany plus some admiralties in tow that went to the Ijsselmeer, or better to say the Markermeer in the Netherlands.
In a well planned and immaculately executed attack we were successfully boarding the beautiful Staatenjacht Utrecht and we found ourselves in the mids of our wildest pirate dreams.


And so the scum of several german forums gathered underneath the blood-red-yellow-lioned flag.

Foolhardy pirates ...


... applecakesmutjes ...

... in short, the whole landlubbery motley crew was overwhelmed ... 

... as the cake was marvelous and more important than the captains speech: "If we sink, do not panic, the water is only approx. 2 meters deep, so be prepared to only get wet feet."

But one could see his thoughts: "Oh my god, what have I done to deserve this?!?"

Finally on the endless sees of this lake: Putting up sails, everybody had to help ...


... what a delight for a pirate´s soul ...

... then the staysail ...



... and to put up the jib one had even to climb outboard defying deaths and horrors.

Look at these professionals at work.

The master gave the directions how to coil the ropes ...

... but as usual it ended up in some kind of private bondage lessons.

The leeboards had to be put down and up depending on the tack ...

... even the the tiller we were allowed to touch and steer ...

... and - big management mistake - even me they dared to try to cope with steering, so of course the company went a bit off course ...

... but just look, isn´t my silver medal glowing beautifully under this tropical sun ?!?
XXXDAn

Making off the various lines around the foredeck is now almost  finished. The lines made off to the timberhead are complete. As I wrote in my previous post I have left a couple of lines to magically disappear. The timberhead is crowded enough and I have again convinced myself that less is more.
 

Whoops - I just discovered that I deleted the view of the timberhead towards the bow. I will post another photo later.
 
The blocks for the bunt and leech lines were a bit of a problem. The lines are supposed to be threaded through the blocks with tack toggles on the end of the line. This I duly did - for the first one. Here is. the toggle.
 
 

However when threaded though the block and through all the other rigging blocks (a small nightmare), the block on the yard refused to seat properly because the toggle protruded too much.  Re-rigging it didn't bear thinking about so I left it, doing a bit of ex post adjustment with some subtle use of glue.  If you look closely you may see the toggle - at least it's better positioned than it was.  For the rest I used a simple knot instead of the toggle.
 

The lines made off to the forecastle rail really are a problem. By my count there are 16 (8x2) to be somehow accommodated. (See the rigging plan in a previous post, above.)  So far ten have been completed.  Remaining are 80, 81 and 85. These all lead from the main yards.  The following photos will show how the ten have been dealt with, and provide an indication of how the remaining lines will be made off.  Lines 80 and 81 will go to the relevant support timbers  and the coils will go in the same way as 78 (you have your answer Arthur). Line 85 is still a problem, but I think the coil may be fitted next to the outside support timbers. I have no idea if all of this is 'authentic' but at least it's neat - and, after all - it is only a model.
 

 


 

 
 

I have now done the spritsail and spritsail topsail braces. The rigging of the bowsprit and the foremast yards is almost complete. This is how things look. 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

The plan shows the various braces comparatively slack (see below).  The completed models I have seen (and as far as I can see. the photos on the box) show them to be taught. I have not yet tied them off and a little advice on this would be would be welcome. 
 

The braces turned out to be quite awkward. The lines go through two double blocks: one under the front of the top; one at the rear. Access to the front was straightforward.  To the rear was something else.  I ended up attaching the smallest alligator clip I could find to the rear block so that I could hold it to enable me to thread the lines through.
 
Here are the lines going through the front block ....
 

... then, after some gnashing of teeth, through the rear ...
.... and here is an overall look.

 
 

After my belated realisation that finally tying off lines was not a good idea for the timberhead, it then made sense to superimpose the belaying points for all of the rigging.  Here is progress and it's quite daunting.  I first photo-copied the belaying plan from plan 9, then transcribed the plans from plans 10 and 11. Also included are the belaying points originally omitted from the plans.   
 
In the following photos, I rotated the photos in the Nikon software, but despite showing correctly there, when downloaded here the rotation disappears.
 
For those who may be interested, I hope you can read without discomfort with your heads tilted to the side.

 

 

Here is an amended plan of the belaying points on the timberhead.  Computer problems have delayed things.
 

Just to give some idea of the complexity of all this rigging, this is how things stand so far in rigging the bowsprit and related bits and pieces. Just how the sailors dealt with all of this and the skills they must have needed is quite extraordinary. My more immediate problem is how the make the belaying of all these lines look civilised.
 

 
 

The following photo shows one of the boomkins.  It's not clear to me how the supporting lines are to be attached to the hull, nor how the tension on the  lines could be adjusted, if at all. I chose to use hooks for the eyelets on the hull (though I suspect this is not strictly correct) and simply tied off the two lines at the end of the boomskins.

 

The spritsail yard is the source of my latest whinge about the plan.  There a couple of others on the horizon, but first things first. Here is the yard shown. The eyelets are shown at the back of the yard (in plan), and in the front in the elevation (which I missed). I went ahead with the former.
 

Now of course this isn't exactly the end of the world, but it turns out that with the eyelets at the back of the yard the lines going through them foul the spritsail topsail yard. Later (plan 10)the eyelets are shown on top of the yard. Taking the eyelets out and repositioning them in situ was rather fraught. It did make an improvement but there is still a slight foul. 
 

This is how it has turned out.
 

 

 

This give some idea of the complexity of the rigging. There are quite a few more lines that are apparently made off to the timberhead. Just how they will all fit is a bit of a mystery at the moment.  With hindsight, I probably wouldn't have finally tied off any of the lines until I knew where everything went.

Finally, the main topgallant yard is now on.
 

 

PS.  Jose. I counted my remaining parrel beads and there seem to be enough to finish.
 

The yards are slowly being attached. The Easter break with a three- and a four-year old pair of anarchists tended to slow things a little. This is how things look at the moment.
 

 

 
It finally occurred to me that I had forgotten the figurehead and with the various lines around him, he was a little awkward to get on. He does look rather uncomfortable, which, given where he has to sit, is hardly surprising.
 
 

 

 

 
 
 

I completed the transom side of the main rail with respect to the yellowheart and ebony sections.  It's a tricky piece to fit in that it there is not only a curve fore to aft, but also longitudinally (not sure if that's a word, but the main rail has a slow curve going up from the bulwarks to an apex at the midline of the stern and back down to the other side).  This took a little planning, but what I did was to cut a wider piece of yellowheart and sand it to get the fore to aft curve.  Then, I soaked it and put this plank forming jig I bought a while back from Micromark:
 
http://www.micromark.com/plank-forming-jig,7164.html
 
 
Once that was all done, it was a few hours of work to fit it against the main rail sections running along the sides of the ship.  Lots of measurements to make sure that the curve at the transom worked and was uniform (thankfully, somehow the transom framing pieces were pretty spot on).  Then it was on to gluing it to the hull - not easy with the various curves and lack of anchor points!  Eventually after some pins and clamping, I glued it and let it sit overnight.  Then this morning I laminated the ebony strip to it which wasn't too bad, and squared everything up.
 
Some artifacts from the camera, but the lines are very smooth and continuous.  A ton of time, planning and stress, but the main rail came together pretty nicely.  Eventually I'll finish it by laminating holly to it to represent the white pinstripe that runs the hull, but I think next I'm going to start planking the bulwarks and preparing the deck area by adding support pieces for the various deck items.  It's a relief to, for the most part, get the basic framing done so that now I can start adding things that will be seen on the model!
 

 

 

 

Elijah, thanks for looking in.  Thankfully the Morgan has pretty distinct areas where there are color changes, so for the most part you don't need to change colors mid-strake or mid-piece.  The trickiest part will be on the bowsprit I think, which changes from black to white so that will require two separate dowels attached together.
 
One tricky area I'm working through at the moment is the main rail.  The main rail is ochre inboard, black outboard, with a white stripe at the outer edge for one of the Morgan's pinstripes.  So, what I am attempting to do is laminate three pieces of wood - yellowheart, ebony, and holly - to form the main rail.  So far so good - I was worried about bending a thin strip of ebony around the yellowheart, but after a few failed attempts at bending ebony, I finally came upon a way to do it.  The best success I had was to soak the piece, put it against a former with the curve I wanted, then use a hot iron plank bender that I got from Model Expo against piece to get the bend I wanted.  After a few rounds of this, I was able to rubber band the piece along the former to help keep the bend.  One thing to bear in mind is that the hot iron can burn the wood and even cause tiny divots, so it's best to use the iron against the opposite side of the visible piece of the wood - essentially, if the curve is concave, you use a former that is convex, and vice versa.
 
Here are some pictures of the main rail after laminating a 1.5mm x 1.5mm ebony strip to the earlier installed yellowheart:
 

 

 

Much detail and fiddliness Carl, I don't know how you do it so neatly, nicely done.

Thanks for the likes and support.
 
My eyes are bit off as it turns out that I need new glasses... so still in a holding pattern but doing odds and ends.
 
I've worked with the laser and set up for the cannon carriages to be cut.  Even managed to get one cut but not assembled yet..  these things are tiny....    Anyway photo of what I've done and hopefully I can get them cleaned up and start figuring  out a jig for building them.  I'm not going to put guns in the foreword most port on each side as apparently they weren't normally filled and there's next to no room to serve them.  Once the first is cleaned up, assembled, and checked at all ports, I'll either revine it if needed or go for production.   
 
Tomorrow's another day and hopefully for my mental well-being the new glasses will show up this week.
 
 

 

Much detail and fiddliness Carl, I don't know how you do it so neatly, nicely done.

Besides having been a major nuisance to myself - debugging a program for bugs all week long - I have managed to accomplish some things on a more happy note. Sparkling PE
 
From parts to the full fledged thing a ma jig ... nearly forgot, one of the two airplane catapults ... (why didn't they use those for boats, much faster launching!)

 
 
 
 
Had a lovely Dutch sky Yesterday (just around the corner ...)

No, I didn't stop, just had a serious back problem, a software release which didn't release yet, and heaps of other excuses.
 
I've been working - on and off - on the hull, did some PE here, and some PE there. Got a third hand from MM (it's eye candy!!!) dropped something on the funnel which the funnel didn't like so I had the first repairs ... probably more to come ... anyways lads (any lasses?) without further a do some more eye food
 
Michael Mott's hand (he is currently working with a single one I presume ...?)

 
A side ladder (pilot's ladder?), and davits. These look so much better than the plastic junk from the kit


and for a change I picked p sme PE, and started on the first catapult, parts and initial fases

 
Still a lot more work to do. As I wrote on Greg's topic, it seems that the old tool has far less, or not such good detail on the plastic, as the new tool. Have quite a number of sheets left!!!
 
Cheers

Hi Gang ... Just thought I'd better pop along and let you know what I've been up to .. cos 'no' I haven't been 'skiving off'  .. I have been tipping and tapping along on Ballahoo (The Mast Hoops are ready to install.. I was experimenting with different material and ultimately came back to the ones I made earlier, except that I painted them a more timber colour.. ) Anyhoo with the brighter days I decided to do something ..
That 'something' was to finish off a build I had started many many years before Ballahoo (think 15 to 20 in fact).. well before I ever attempted a Wooden Boat in fact.. she is an adapted French 74 (originally the kit 'Le Superbe' I think) made into a 'Prize' of the RN .. I was rigging her correctly using Lees and it was taking forever (this is about 15 years ago btw) .. Well .. I have been pondering a possibility this past year or two and decided to act on it a few days ago .. I 'cut her down' that is I chopped the masts to a centimeters above deck height thus pretty much finishing the build in one fell swoop (at least she is as finished as she will ever be.. I have no plans for instance to add the Gun Port Lids, to be honest they are long gone after an enthusiastic room clean out ) ..  I will be ordering a Glass Case shortly  (a lot cheaper now, in fact it will be an upturned Fish Tank made to measure by local glass merchants )
 
 
As Usual Thanks For Stopping By, Normal Ballahoo Service Will Be Resumed Shortly (Promise)
 
All The Very Best Folks
 
Eamonn
 
Right .. Enough Talk .. Time for some Photos 
 
 

Hi Gang ..  
 
At long last I hear you say.. I have an actual Ballahoo Update  !
 
I have a few days off and decided to  get back at the Building Table .. have been assessing her this past few days in anticipation of the 'few days off' and saw that in reality Ballahoo is not too far from being finished ! (I know I know .. there is the rigging to do, but let's face it in comparison to many if not most of the builds on here Little Wee Ballahoo isn't the most 'Rigged' vessel on display 
 
Anyhoo .. To Business !
 
I tidied the rigging for the Guns and made up the Rope Coils, treating them with diluted pva to keep them in place and in shape.
Next up was the 'strops' for the Tiller (the lines to prevent it moving)   these proved to be somewhat tricky affairs as they needed to be tight and keep the tiller arm centered! easier said then done with my limited ability  (you may notice I have a small bulldog clip holding 2 pieces of flat wood each side of the rudder to prevent accidental knocks which would otherwise I'm sure rip the tiller from the Rudder Head, now that the Strops are in position)
Then I moved onto the various Blocks near the top of the Mast's, and the Cleats towards the deck..
 
The Masts are only dry fitted by the way but I'm quiet near the point where they will be permanently fitted so I can get on with the various Stays etc ..
 
Photo Time .. 
 
All The Best Folks and Thanks For Stopping By The Slooooowest Build on MSW 
 
Eamonn

Hi Chaps, we'll I am back after a little hiatus.   Ron, Mark, Pat, Bob and the likes - thanks for the kind words as always. 
 
Sjors - Its nice to have the option to use the kit part rather than nothing, its insurance 
 
I've landed a new job, which is some relief - even though I had time on my hands I couldn't enjoy building but did what I could when the mood took me.  I'm not sure how the scratch builders feel, but these cheeks and rails had me thinking I'd never get them done and asking myself if I'd bitten off more than I could chew.
 
First off, I had to decide how I wanted to terminate the rails.  This period seems to be a bit of a mix in styles, mixing more elaborate decoration with a hint of future frugality.  I decided to err on the side of ornamentation after studying some NMM models, which basically just meant a larger scroll on the hair bracket and lower cheek I tried to follow guidance in TFFM as much as I could, and I've shown the progress pics below.  This wasn't as hard as I thought and for a first effort I was pretty happy, but I'll leave final judgement to others.  I knew I'd be painting these, so I found myself occasionally putting a think coat of paint on to get a better sense for the contours which is difficult with the pale castello.  
 

Once the scrolls were done, I made a scraper for the contour and tried to add the profile.  I found this very tricky and found myself battling the curve, the changes in width and the slight grain, especially in the thinner sections.  First approach was to shape the cheek piece and the rail and then glue together (I did these off the model painting would be next to impossible once mounted).  This didn't work as well as hoped, the profiles didn't match and the edges had rounded, but some filler and rework did the job.  For the others, I glued the cheek piece and the bracket before profiling which seemed to work fine.  I used a touch of sepia wash to highlight the profile.  Near the scroll, there is barely a profile so paint is needed to give the effect.
 
Overall, I give myself a "C" on the profiling:  hopefully could do better next time but needed to move on or forever be stuck in hairbracket purgatory.  Next time () I think I'd try using pear rather than castello but didn't have any of the right dimension to hand to try.

Lastly, couldn't resist adding a little more detail than the kit offers and wanted to add both a Filling piece and Trailboard.  Looking at contemporary Artois models, the filling piece is quite substantial and adds a distinctive look.  First off, I tried making a 1mm thick version bent to the hull shape - too thin.  I next tried a 2mm think version, but again felt it was too thin.  Tried 3mm, but it was impossible to bend, so went with a 5mm castello sheet and shaped as needed.  This was quite a bit of work as none of the sides are at 90deg, and the hull curvature needs to be accounted for, luckily this doesn't need to be perfect as the interior faces will be hidden by the  cheeks.  The trailboard was relatively simple but again took a while to get the appropriate shape.  Once complete these should go together like a jigsaw puzzle.....

And the finished result.  These will not be glued until I have the port side pieces finalized, but they fit together just fine.  Overall, I found this tricky and time consuming, but educational.  Without detailed plans there was a lot to consider to get the alignment looking right to my eye, for example, the lower cheek scroll terminating at the foot of the figurehead, the hair bracket scroll aligning with the rounded top of the lacing piece.

Finally, recognition for all those failures forever consigned to the wastebasket of progress....

Wow.  I've loved watching all of your builds, but what really set this one apart for me was the artistry of value modulation and weathering that makes the close-up views reminiscent of the atmosphere of some of the best anime renderings: