Beef Wellington

Post three
Frame preparation is the next task.

113
It starts with the fore and aft single frames. In accordance with the advice, tape is applied both sides of the frames to support the cut line during fairing, and small tabs are glued in place to support this weak area.

0112
Provided blocks are used to protect the transom.

0111a

0110
Dry test fitting of the keel, the first of many such tests before  any glue is applied.

0109a
The double frames comprising Top timbers and floors are assembled.

0122
On the stern section board, the floor sections face aft.

0116
On the bow section board, the floor timbers face forward except for frames 1 and 2 next to the board join, which also face aft.

0126
The frames slot into the build board with very little need for adjustment.
I will now play around with the keel fit before I commit to glue.
 
 
B.E.
25/01/23
 

Post two
The keel is completed by the addition of notched strips into which the frames will be fitted. These need to be centrally placed to form a rabbet either side.
I used strips cut from spare 1/32” cedar sheet to provide  spacer pieces to ensure the fit is central to the keel.

065
 The stem notched section is fitted first.

067
The first part of the sternpost addition is fitted next but has been sanded a little to provide an adequate rabbet.

073
The second part of the stern fitting also sanded a little to enhance the rabbet.

080
The long keel section is fitted lastly and is centred by use of four spacing jigs along its length.

083
The long keel section fitted perfectly along the keel without the need for any adjustment.

084
So far, So good.

087
Chuck specifically mentions ensuring an adequate rabbet at the stern.

091
Templates used to mark the bolt holes through the lap joints. Using it both sides aligned the holes and allowed for through drilling. I used a 0.70mm ø drill, and a coat of wipe-on was then applied.

092
There seems to be some variation in the line to use for the bolts. The instructions say 25lb monofilament line, but Chuck’s own log mentions use of 201b or as an alternative 22 gauge copper wire.
The kit list indicated 10lb, 20lb, and 40lb black filament but I could only find 10lb filament. 28 and 24-gauge wire was also provided.

095
In the end I settled on 70lb/31.8kg (0.75mm) monofilament line.
 
The final part of this section is attaching the transom. There is a useful vertical shallow slot lasered into the fore face of transom which assists both positioning and gluing the piece into place.
The other main consideration is ensuring that the transom sits squarely to the keel at 90 degrees.

097a
I created a simple jig to check the square, made from bits of fret from the kit.

0101

0102

0105
My  Queen Anne Barge build board proved useful for aligning the Transom.
A further coat of wipe-on will now be applied before moving on.
 
B.E.
23/01/23

Thank you, shipman,
I’m not sure I agree with you about this kit being hackneyed on MSW.
Compared with many other builds there are relatively few in active progress, and even less completed.
The decoration is a minor element of the build, which produces a superb version of the contemporary model in the NMM.
I don’t see much scope for giving the build a different treatment that would improve on the basic model. If you have anything in mind, I’m all ears.
As a serial kit basher, the Syren kits are the only ones I have not felt the need to make any significant modifications to.
I am considering whether to fully plank of leave partially in frame to match the Royal Barge, but that’s about it.
 
A long time ago I copied this photo from a log.

I don’t recall whose build it is now, but I liked the display of the Longboat very much.
 
Sorry to disappoint you, but I hope you will still look-in  periodically to see progress.
 
Regards,
 
B.E.
 

Post One.
The journey begins.
Parts one and two of the guide have been printed out and a supply of 320 sandpaper obtained to prep the keels. A fresh mix of wipe-on-poly has been made up so it’s time to get going.

023
I have decided to build both keel versions, simply because they’re there.
I quite like the look of the scarph joint version but as Chuck has gone to the trouble of creating the more authentic lap joint arrangement, I hope to use that one.

032
I used a No11 blade in the scalpel to pare down the lap joints and finished with 320 paper.

036
The cedar cuts cleanly, but I got through 10 blades fettling the lap joints.
One annoyance was that a tiny corner piece of the stem broke away on the top side where it meets the lap joint rebate.

030
I added a small piece of timber and sanded flush, hopefully it won’t draw the eye.
 
The scarph joint arrangement keel is much easier to assemble, but despite Chuck’s assurances that the simple butt joint at the stern will hold, I am still nervous, but resisted the urge to dowel it.

037
I do the assembly on an old tile which provides a flat surface and can be kept clean.

045

038
The simplified version is shown here on the old build board for the Queen Anne Barge.

040

041

042
A paper template has been cut out to mark the nail positions on the lap joints.
 
B.E.
16/01/2023
 
 

I had some taping overflow, but I’m happy with the boats now.  I’ve just finished clear coating them.  The Heller kit has all three boats stacked, but I want to put them two across on spars on the waist.  To make that look right I may need to create some seats or cross bars on the otherwise empty boats.

@mugje - just to be clear, the resin hull shown is an 'aftermarket' mini-kit supplied by caldercraft, its not included in the kit.  What I'm attempting to do is leverage the kit supplied items as best I can.
 
Cutter Progress: Part 2
 
Keel and bow section was cut out of some spare wood and glued in place, and once the basic hull was completed, a decision was needed on how to add a second layer of planking, kit instructions specify to use another layer of 0.5mm walnut.  I really wanted to try and replicate the clinker hull planking shown in the AOTS Diana book, and to do this a used some cardstock instead of wood to cut individual strakes.  Fist challenge was to determine the width of each plank on the hull.  This was done using 'tick strips' at about 10 points along the hull.  The lowest (non-clinkered) garboard strake was simply omitted.  The end of the cardstock strips were cut down (rather than truly tapered) to allow the planking to terminate smoothly at the front bow and stern which is how I believe the planking is done in practice.  Each strip was cut to about 2.5mm thickness, the benefit of cardstock is that when coated with dilute PVA glue it becomes very manageable and can simply be bent to shape rather than the spiling that would have been necessary if wood had been used.
 
Once the hull had been marked out to 'prove' the planking separation, these were not referenced again.  Once a strip had been installed, the lowest point of the next strip was placed using the tickstrips.  This process was simply repeated, with time allowed for the glue to dry sufficiently for the surface to harden.  Dilute PVA was used quite liberally to ensure a good bond between the wood and card as the hope is for this to add additional structural strength.
 

 

 
The final 2 strakes were completed with one wider strip as the uppermost strake is non-clinkered and would not be visible.  Extra height was added for safety as this can be easily cut back once glue has dried.
 

 
Once both sides had been completed, each was  given a few more coats of dilute PVA for added insurance....why not?!  With the exterior planking work completed, attention could be turned to the interior and the potentially catastrophic step of removing the frames.  This actually went smoothly, but has to be approached with patience and a light hand.  The kit base was removed as well as the actual flooring should be a little lower I feel.  The frames were cut back a little more than is perhaps necessary, but this will allow flexibility as to where the floor is, and hopefully prevent them from being seen.  Practically, it also allowed the interior planking to be sanded more effectively.  The hull in this state clearly needs a light hand, but is surprisingly robust despite my fears.
 
Once an initial sanding had been completed, some light wood filler was used to fill imperfections and deal with some of the slight clinkering of the topmost walnut strips.  Once sanded back, dilute PVA was once again brushed on....yes, paranoia perhaps, but can't hurt.
 

 
Finally I was able to add an initial coat of white point to the hull to get a better idea of how this turned out (In this case Valejo 'off white' as it was all I could get from Amazon in a reasonable timeframe).  This highlighted that some finish work will be required in some areas where the eye is drawn to surface imperfections, but one thing I've learned is that the cardstock planks can be effectively sanded, probably due to the application of dilute PVA glue.  Definitely some fine tuning still needed and far from perfect, but its hard not to be pleased with the result for a first attempt.
 

Greg's and druxey's gluing ideas worked well. Tiny drops of carpenter's glue between the piece and a sheet of plywood held everything firmly enough to sand fair on three sides. Isopropyl removed it from the ply, and as the British say, "Bob's your uncle!"
 
Good trick for refining small delicate parts.
 
Glued together on the hull, still not fully faired to each other:

then glued down on plywood:
 

 
Faired, and pinned back on the hull:
 
 

This piece reminds me of the great quote on Remco's HMS Kingfisher site: "Treat each part as if it is a model on its own, you will finish more models in a day than others do in a lifetime."
 
Mark
 
 

Looking good...but of course would have expected nothing else!

Looking good...but of course would have expected nothing else!

I have to take the dust of on the build log.
It's a while ago but i'm back......
I have removed all the copper plates because a lot of them are falling off and I was not happy with the result
So I have started again with those plates.
 
Sjors
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi guys n gals 
Can't believe it's been soooo long since I posted on here. Yes I'm still building the Trincomalee but a lot has happened between then and now. The pandemic, redesigning the back garden, donating a kidney to my other half and doing a commission build of a viking ship. Anyway I'm back on it and raring to go. The last thing I posted was about the figurehead, since then I've done the grating on deck (which took an age and was very monotonous) put the cannons in and now slowly adding bits to the hull.

Andrew and Dave, thanks for the really nice comments and all the likes on the pinnace.  It gives me great encouragement for continuing with the launch, which is progressing quite nicely.

The ribs and seating are installed in the same way as for the pinnace but installing the ribs from the stern forward.  Adding the breasthook helped with improving the curve and strength of the bow section. I have left off the davit and its support for now because I am minded to beef up the davit which looks a bit thin as the 1mm pear piece supplied in the kit.

 
That forward seat is definitely square despite the rather distorted view above!
 

A bit more cleaning and tidying up to do before I paint the hull
 
David
 
 
 
 

Stunning. That must be the most realistic stern I’ve seen on a kit. I’m going to have a hard time leaving Indefatigable in the box while I get on with Sphinx!

Evening!
 
I thought this a good time to do an update as the stern is more or less complete. I've just got to add the stern gunport eyebolts and hinges, plus the lanterns which are now under paint.
 
First job here is to fit the glazing panels which come pre-cut. These just pop into place and the PE window frames are painted and pushed into the recesses. These push in snugly, and a little varnish was run around them to 'glue' them into place. Note that you can have any stern window (except the quarter-rears) positioned either open or closed. I opted to leave two windows open.

 
 
 
The columns are now singled out for some ochre paint and these are then glued between the windows. Minimal trimming is needed with these.


 
 
 
Instead of PE for the quarter shingles, a small sheet of pre-cut Laser-Board is included. these are longer than they need to be and are just trimmed and glued into place with a few dits of CA gel. These will then be painted in black to make them uniform (not seen here).


 
 
 
Again, instead of PE, the stern decor is laser-engraved into a sheet of PolyBak. These are finer than PE and have much nicer fidelity. All parts are carefully removed, attached to some de-tacked tape and then airbrushed in yellow ochre paint. Each part is then applied to the relevant engraved area on the ship's stern. For the ship name, a waterslide decal is included.


 
 
Until later!

You are making a very good job of those ships boats David, the look very detailed and your usual high standard of finish! 

Thanks for looking in and for all for the likes.
 
With both pinnace and launch hulls complete, I continued to work on the pinnace.
 
The ribs are fixed using Tamiya tape as 6mm spacers. Fixing the first ribs and getting them to look in line and parallel was the most difficult part of this stage. Beginning at the bow I think was the problem, so for the launch I will start with the stern ribs.

The sternsheet bench was shaped more in line with the plans on page 117 of the AotS and I added some linings at stern and bow.
I marked out the position of the thwarts on a piece of scrap and laid it along the boat and each thwart was trimmed as necessary.

I was pleased that there were plenty of spare knees because they are very delicate and prone to damage when finishing the hull and the hull took a lot of finishing. More areas for attention showing up when painting the hull white. There are still places at the bow that I’m not happy with but I’m afraid it will have to do. When it comes to the launch, I will add the wales and paint the outside of the hull before fitting the knees.
The forward and stern washboards were painted blue and ochre to reflect the colours used on Diana.
The pinnace is now complete with the finishing of oars, anchors and boat hooks ongoing.


 Meanwhile I’m continuing work on the launch.
 
David

I take my hat off to you Sir! |Great job on the boats.

Bob: I agree that word meaning shifted with time, and I think we are agreed now! Thank you.
 
Bruce: You've smoked me: I'm rotten to the core.

Looks like a very interesting subject.
 
I'm loathe to post this because of clogging up this thread...but, I wonder if it would make sense to start a new thread specific to each new kit project?  Hopefully that will keep people on topic and focused, and reduce the inevitable back and forth with parallel development activities, pet peeves etc.

Thanks for the very kind words and likes everyone - sadly no further progress (or even pent-up progress).
 
@westwood The colour is 'red ochre' from the Admiralty paints series sold by Caldercraft.

Thanks for the very kind words and likes everyone - sadly no further progress (or even pent-up progress).
 
@westwood The colour is 'red ochre' from the Admiralty paints series sold by Caldercraft.

Looks like a very interesting subject.
 
I'm loathe to post this because of clogging up this thread...but, I wonder if it would make sense to start a new thread specific to each new kit project?  Hopefully that will keep people on topic and focused, and reduce the inevitable back and forth with parallel development activities, pet peeves etc.

Looks like a very interesting subject.
 
I'm loathe to post this because of clogging up this thread...but, I wonder if it would make sense to start a new thread specific to each new kit project?  Hopefully that will keep people on topic and focused, and reduce the inevitable back and forth with parallel development activities, pet peeves etc.

Looks like a very interesting subject.
 
I'm loathe to post this because of clogging up this thread...but, I wonder if it would make sense to start a new thread specific to each new kit project?  Hopefully that will keep people on topic and focused, and reduce the inevitable back and forth with parallel development activities, pet peeves etc.

Looks like a very interesting subject.
 
I'm loathe to post this because of clogging up this thread...but, I wonder if it would make sense to start a new thread specific to each new kit project?  Hopefully that will keep people on topic and focused, and reduce the inevitable back and forth with parallel development activities, pet peeves etc.