Beef Wellington

Finally finished all of the square frames.  That was a good day and a milestone.   I have faired the outside of the hull pretty good but stopped short of the outmost frames because I didnt want to over fair.  Those will be done as I work on the cant frames next.   The forwards cant frames are next.  I also did some preliminary fairing inboard where I could reach.   Just a little to make my life easier when the time comes to do that later.   
 

I basically just repeated the instructions I already mentioned until all the square frames were completed.   It is really important to check the heights and positions of the sweep ports and gun ports as you progress.   I have provided the laser cut parts to simplify that and yes you can measure up from the baseboard to check their heights.   But I was also using a template I created.   I just havent showed it before in my previous updates.   This will be provided on the plans.  This in combination with those other means of measurement will really help ensure that your ports all end up where they are supposed to.   The top of the template aligns with the sheer.   The bottom of the template actually aligns with the top edge of the wales.  The heights are most important for the ports and dont go nuts if your openings are a 1/64" to the left or right.   It will all work out in the end.   You can always fix slight issues before you start planking if you have to do some shifting.  But I highly recommend that you use this template from the start of your framing to check the port positions as you progress.   If you do this before you glue the actual sweep port fillers into position permanently (and the gun port sills),  you can adjust them at that time to ensure the opening are in the correct spots.   Then after you get a match glue them in permanently.  Using the template is really the key to successfully and easily taking the guess-work out of positioning the ports.
 
With any POF project there is a lot going on and a lot of parts.  It is inevitable that some frames may not end up where you want them exactly.   Thats OK and certainly it happened to me.  You may get a slight bend in your frame etc.   Your wood thickness might be a little over or under with your frames.   Maybe a frame isnt perfectly perpendicular to the keel after it settles once glued in.  Creep can be an issue after 20 frames etc.   But regardless of where you frames end up you can easily manipulate the sweep port fillers and sills using the template to get them exactly where you want them.   As you can see the framing looks perfect to the naked eye but I can assure you they are not...the template is your salvation!!!
 



The hull is really shaping up after doing some fairing.   I hope you guys and start to see the shape in the photos I have taken.
 
I will take a few days to a week to get organized before I start on the forward cant frames.   I want to prepare the parts files for final laser cutting up to this point.   What you see in these pictures should constitute the starter package or chapter one.   It will cost more than a typical chapter because there is so much wood and so many parts.   But it makes for a nice start.  I will also prepare all of the carvings for casting before I start on the cant frames so it may be a while before my next update....A couple of weeks maybe.   Any questions or comments are welcomed.  Chapter 2 begins really soon!!!
 

I should have jumped onto finishing the carronades but I felt like I needed a change so I had a stab at one of the masts. I chose the mizzen as it is the easier of the three. I checked all of the heights against using Steel, Lees, Caldercraft and AOTSD. The AOTSD and kit lengths are fairly close although the diameters are a bit different. The dimensions in Steel are all shorter but he was quite the short mast evangelist. I decided to stick to the AOTSD dimensions as I had used those heights for the dummy masts that I used to position my gunports.
 
For the mizzen I used an 8mm diameter beech dowel which sits between the Steel and AOTSD dimensions but the last time I had a go at enlarging the hole for the mizzen with the dremel I nearly set fire to my ship. Luckily the 8mm diameter mast did fit into the lathe so I used that to get the taper using sandpaper and multiple dimensional checks to see that it was going in the right direction. The taper is as per Steel's formulas and is quite subtle but noticeable. The end was squared off with the milling machine and the taper to that done freehand which ended up a bit wonky but that gives it a nice homemade feel.

I added the cleats to the bottom of the mast as per the AOTSD drawings. I had to eyeball the height based on my 1:64 captain figurine but I do not think it is critical. I used modified Bluejacket cast Britannia metal cleats. I gave the mast a coating of yellow ochre and painted the top black. I left off the top iron hoops for now until I have fitted the crosstrees.
 




I remade the hounds and bibs as two separate pieces rather than the all-in-one kit version. This will also allow me to splay the bibs. I notice that the drawings show this for the main and fore masts but they are quite shy in describing the condition at the mizzen. For consistency I am planning on splaying all three.
 

For the wooldings I did a couple of samples using 0.3mm diameter rope as per Steel and 0.5mm diameter rope as per other sources. I could have gone either way on this but eventually plumped for the 0.3mm. I then realised that I did not have any of the dark brown from RoS in this size so had to revert to the 0.5mm. I noticed that they now do a 0.35mm diameter version which would probably be the sweet spot in terms of dimension but I am too impatient to wait for delivery.



The timber hoops above and below the woolding were fashioned using a 0.5mm sliver of cherry wood cut from a 0.5mm thick shim. This was then well soaked and wrapped around the mast. It was nigh on impossible to do this without getting glue on the woolding. It does have a nice yellow colour so I can forgo the painting and avoid further mischief to the woolding.
 

I started on the top. This turned out to be a bigger adventure than anticipated. I looked at many drawings describing these structures and most of them seem to be based on the one included in Steel. This is a beautiful drawing to be sure but it is full of ambiguities. The AOTSD drawings sort of fudges the matter and is such a small scale that it is very hard to see what is going on. I eventually found out what I needed to know in the Longridge Victory book. His drawing is not as evocative as Steel's but has much greater clarity. A further study of the existing condition on HMS Victory and HMS Trincomalee confirmed this solution. To start I rebuilt the deals using individual planks. Here I shamelessly copied Rob Durant's colour scheme that he used in his Ethalion build and left the planks in their natural state. It is a non-regulation colour scheme but I like the way you can see how the top was put together. Although these planks would not have been caulked, I did darken the edges to give better definition to the layout.
 
Studying other builds I noticed that it is quite popular to plank over the kit piece, which was tempting, but I wanted to see the planking on the underside as well. Lees gives a drawing that shows how these planks are scarfed together which got me fretting as to how I was going to be able to mill a plank exactly in half to form this scarf joint. Luckily, I had no planks of the required thickness but I did have some that were half as thick which made me realise that it would be a lot easier to form the scarf by laminating them together and save myself the milling headache. That done it was fairly easy to glue them into the required pattern and cut out the final shape.
 



At this point I should include a "do not try this at home" disclaimer as I decided to represent the nail pattern to highlight the scarf joint. For this I used some dark 0.18mm diameter filament that I found in a drawer. I do not exactly know what this material is made of as I cannot recall where I purchased it and it has no label. I inserted the mystery material into a 0.2mm diameter hole. This was very frustrating, time consuming and ultimately not that successful. Having done it on the Mizzen top I am in the dilemma of whether to carry on and do the same thing for the Fore and Main top or to remake the Mizzen top. it is a 50/50 decision.
 




I added a copper strip to the side to represent the plate that prevents the futtock plates damaging the timber. I then constructed the rim and the filling out of walnut. I made the copper bearing plates out of styrene and milled the slots for the futtock plates. These slots do not go through the top but pass to the side hence the requirement for the protective plate at the edge. I formed the timber battens out of 1.6mm thick maple. This was a painful process as each one has to be notched, chamfered and shaped to fit. I added some blocking under the gunwale to accept the stanchions for the rail.
 







I decided to use 1mm thin-walled brass tubing for the stanchions rather than timber as it was more structurally robust and it was not uncommon to have a metal rail structure. The top rail was formed out of 2 x 2 mm walnut. I left off the fabric cover as I did not think that I would be able to make this convincingly enough. To finish off I drilled some speculative holes for crows feet which is a future aspiration. Now that it is finished, I am wavering over the natural finish. The temptation is there to just paint it all black. I am going to hold off on that decision for now until I have built more of the mast.




I have not yet fixed the tops as I realised that I have to make the top mast to ensure that everything fits together. 
 

Post Eight.
 Armed with Chuck’s good advice and with better heart I sallied forth to re-fix the bow section frames.
 What testy business, once I’d got frames 1 and 2 at the bow spot on centred, attempts to centre the frames along the keel instantly threw them out.
I decided to centre and glue the foremost bow frames H and G into the keel and let them set.
I figured that I could still remove the forward Build board section and then refit it for centring the remainder, noting those which presented difficulty.

0198
I eased the frames a little to allow the keel notches to slip a little easier across the frames.
It seemed to work, and the remainder were re-fitted and glued.
There was time to check the measurements both sides of the frames which are now matching.

0199

0195

0203A

0206

0204
Hopefully back on track, now where did I put those tick strips.
 
 
B.E.
 
03/02/2023
 

Post Seven
 And it was all going so fine.
 
When I came to do the tick strips I quickly found that there was a variance between the overall length of frame edges port and starboard.

0179
The eight aftermost rear frames were fine, but ten of the forward ones were out between 2-4mm. The port side (with the hull inverted) were all shorter than the starboard side, suggesting that the frames are not centred.

0181
You can see here marked in pencil on the frames the length difference between the keel rabbet and edge of the floor timbers on the opposing side.

0182
There is no wriggle room laterally in the frames they fit tight against the board slots, and the two halves of the board are squarely joined. The keel looks straight but as it stands, I can’t proceed on this basis.

0184
Nothing for it but to disassemble the forward half of the keel and re-set, hopefully with better results, but at least the fairing has been achieved.

0186
Fortunately, the keel separated from the frames fairly easily without any damage, but I’m still left with the issue of how to centre the keel without lateral movement in any of the frames.
 
It looks like I need to shave a fraction off the board slots relative to the offending frames to allow a degree of lateral movement. This would be easier and less risky than messing with the frame centres.
 
Before I proceed, any thoughts from those who have gone through this process?
 
 
B.E.
02/02/2023
 

Postscript to previous .
 
Chuck has identified the likely cause of the issue as the keel not being fully centred on the forward framing section, plus a slight keel bend that I couldn't detect.

 
Round two coming up, I must try to do better.
 
Given how busy Chuck must be, what a great service he provides.
 
Thank you Chuck.
 
 
B.E.

Post Five
 Preparations are made for the fairing process.
 I will be using 320 grit aluminium oxide fabric backed sandpaper, which I buy on rolls. I also have some 240 grit sheets.

0154
Many will be familiar with Model Craft finger sanders, the main drawback being replacing the sanding bands which cost around £9.00 for three, comprising a coarse, medium, and fine grade which for this job means two of the three aren’t of much use for the fairing process.

0152A
I make my own replacements using 320 grit off the roll with the ends joined together using ca and heavy duty parcel tape. (The same stuff used for securing the two halves of the building board.)
A lot cheaper than the replacement bands, and the exact grit grade required can be used.
 
You will all have heard of range anxiety in relation to electric cars, well I suffer from frame anxiety in relation to model ships.🙄

0156
Overkill maybe but I added small blocks of balsa between the frames to reduce flex.

0160
Fairing in progress. Cedar is a fairly soft wood, so the 320 grit is sufficient for the purpose.

0161
At this point I have probably spent a couple of hours fairing, but I’m not done yet.

0157

0163
I use a thin planking strip to regularly check the run across the frames.
 
More than enough of that for today, tomorrow with fresh eyes I will use the strip to check across all frames at  different levels.
 
 
B.E.
30/01/2023
 
 
 

 

Post Four
Being a belt and braces sort of chap I applied the tape and  wooden tabs to all the frames in preparation for fairing.

0128
I spent time assembling/disassembling the frames and keel on the building board. I didn’t find it an easy task getting all the keel slots to sit fully down on the frames, but until this is done there is no point moving on. Some of the frames required a slight sanding where they fit into the keel slots.

0132
Once I could assemble the aft section in a fairly seamless manner, I proceeded to glue. This process took but a short time.

0139
No hogging in the keel.

0137

0145
… and no keel warp.

0146
Always a relief when this first part has been completed without mishap.

0136
I added an extra support for the transom using  spare brace pieces.

0148
The hull is flipped for the application of tape to the  underside of the building board.

0147
The tricky business of fairing beckons.
 
B.E.
27/01/23

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.