Beef Wellington

Think it is also worth adding that there is not always an answer to all questions, even with AOTS books, NMM plans, models etc.  There are often many small discrepancies and inconsistencies between even contemporary sources (especially the Artois's!), but part of fun is learning from this and working through these challenges to find the direction you want to go in.  Look forward to seeing you start.

Think it is also worth adding that there is not always an answer to all questions, even with AOTS books, NMM plans, models etc.  There are often many small discrepancies and inconsistencies between even contemporary sources (especially the Artois's!), but part of fun is learning from this and working through these challenges to find the direction you want to go in.  Look forward to seeing you start.

Thor,
 
A few years ago when visiting Kew Palace I came across a contemporary painting of the Royal Caroline. Its subdued colours in comparison to other contemporary artefacts suggests it could have been painted from real life.  It confirms what Mark says.
 
I did post these here several years ago so you may already have seen them.
 
Gary
 
 

There are more than 20 low resolution contemporary plans of Diana 1794 at RMG Collections as well as a contemporary model.  You may want to download these and compare to the AOTS book to look for any differences that might be there.
 
https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/search/Diana plans 1794
 
Seven of these plans can be found in high resolution on the Wiki Commons site and are downloadable for free.  I think they are on pages 4 and 5 and labeled as Artois.  These are more than likely applicable to any of the  Artois class 38 gun ship, including Diana 1794 as pointed out on the RMG site which lists eight of the nine the ships of the class on each plan description.    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ship_plans_of_the_Royal_Museums_Greenwich
 
You might also find it a good idea to use these contemporary plans as you can have them printed at any scale you want on single large sheets.
 
Allan
 
 
 
 

This will be the only large sheet in the OREGON kit (28" x 40").  The rest will be 11" x 17" in a spiral-bound book.  With a few exceptions, all of the drawings on the smaller sheets will be full scale.  This takes up a lot less bench space.

Not a false path James, they seem to be the only game in town as far as scale rowers are concerned.
I still hope I can make a passable  job of them, fingers crossed it's not a forlorn hope!
 
B.E.

If you could get the figures to look right, I think they would be a nice addition to your barge.
 
But is it just me, or do the screenshot sample figures you posted look vaguely like “The Who”?
 
Andy

I am neither condescending nor troublesome, but as a moderator of this forum I am tasked with taking appropriate actions with regard to any new member who cannot be bothered with familiarizing himself with the rules and expectations of the public forum he has just joined and who, upon not receiving the desired response to a question that has already been asked and answered dozens of times on this site (which might have been discovered by the new member had he attempted even a modest amount of research before posting the question), immediately pitches a fit and treats the staff shabbily. You will note that I have indeed taken appropriate action in this instance.
 
Kind regards,

Something for Everyone Topic, or how I learned to love how Santa's mind works.

Special "Rigging Gloves" with two bright LED lights positioned at the base of the forefinger and the ring finger (or pinky, to suit). ..and the best part?

 
They come in pairs, left & right, batteries included and installed. These SpaceAge gloves will come in handy for those who no longer want to hold a small flashlight between their teeth whilst rigging (or doing anything else where these awesome gloves might come in handy).
 
Endorsed by thieves with a specialty in lock picking and by poker players who can still have a game when there are rolling blackouts.
 
Essential Wear/WARE for 2023. 
If there's sufficient interest here, I'll contact Santa and see if his workers are not out on strike...
 
 

Next on my list was to make and install the brass inserts and the chafing plate for the boom jaws on the main and foremast. While I have decided to cut the mast short and skip the rigging (in order to save costs on the size of a display case) I did leave the masts long enough to mount the booms.
 
After some careful measurements I cut a piece of .005 aluminum sheet to the proper size (.45 inches high and .87 inches wide). While not photographed, this width left the proper gap on the aft side of the mast.
 
I picked up the aluminum sheets from UMM when I visited the model expo at the Dupage County Fairgrounds.  In an attempt to make the aluminum look a bit more like galvanized metal, I scuffed it up with some 400 grit paper and sprayed it with Easy Off Oven Cleaner. Not quite the look I wanted but not too bad either. I toyed with the idea of using a rivet wheel to simulate the nails that would hold the chafing plate to the mast, but at this scale I decided against it.
 
For the brass band inserts I used an automotive feeler gauge to measure the gap. Then cut a .032 wide strip from a .005 brass shim stock I had on hand. This, and the aluminum, cut very easily with a utility knife.
 

 
I used fast epoxy to attach the plate and band inserts.

Now it’s on to building the gooseneck for the foremast, which looks a bit challenging.
 

Work continues slowly, but not really anything that would be noticeable in a photo update.  In a shameless attempt to cover this up, sharing some contemporary print images that I've been trying to get my hands on for quite some time now.   (The 3rd print below first appeared in my second post in this log back in 2014...ahem...I'm including here for completeness).  Three of the four are by Robert Dodd, and the other is by John Fairburn, and correlating with NMM records, were contemporaneously created between 1798 and 1801.  Its hard to corroborate the details between artists because the Robert Dodd prints are of a much higher quality - a comment on Dodd reflects that he is likely a reasonably reliable source "Although technically accurate and meticulous, his artistic talents were somewhat eclipsed by the greatest of his peers, and it is his contribution to the historical record that is his greatest legacy".  Considering that the representations were 'inscribed to' the ship's captains, one might think that they would be accurate on key points.
 
Full details below, but a couple of things jump out, nothing here will change the approach being taken on this build, but may be of value to others.  I'm really hoping I can get my hands on building contracts now.
Shock and horror! - there 'aint a figurehead!  Jason is clearly shown with a fiddlehead stem! - this is contradictory to available plans and seems unlikely to be an artistic creation.  Especially as other ships represented show quite detailed figureheads. Jason is shown with 14 quarterdeck 'guns' - impossible to tell whether these are carronades or cannons.  In any event, these exceeds the number described in AOTS Diana and seems to exceed Admiralty regulations.  Perhaps Capt. Sterling pulled in some favours to obtain additional ordinance...It's hard to draw any conclusions on the bow armament because its just not clear enough. The Mizzen channel is also clearly shown at its original lower location together with a backstay stool (4th picture below).  This reflects the earlier (original as designed/built?) configuration, and contradicts the single channel configuration located higher up the hull that is shown in AOTS and (possible subsequent alterations) on NMM plans.  Interestingly, the same configuration is shown in second picture below, but the mizzen backstay stool is missing. Try as I might, I just can't resolve much in the way of clues to the stern decoration.  Maybe wishful thinking, but the central figure on the stern in second picture below could be a golden fleece (as would possibly be expected!), and what I'm noodling over for 'my' Jason.  The outboard supporting figures also look 'male' to my eye...but not sure.  There are a number of details here that suggest a different representation here (e.g. ar those columns between the lights?).  Wish I'd managed to get my hands on this years ago.  Unfortunately, the representation by John Fairburn is of much lower artistic and technical and just seems to show smudges. Sequel to the action between L'Hercule and Mars (April 21, 1798): Artist: Robert Dodd ca.1798
Inscription “Sequel to the Action of L’HERCULE and MARS, on the Night of April 24th 1798.  Representing the MARS bringing her PRIZE out of the Passage Du Raz, the JASON FRIGATE having come up some time after the ENEMY had STRUCK, assisting in shifting the Prisoners.” 

Capture of La Seine: Artist: Robert Dodd
Inscription “CAPTURE of LA SEINE most respectfully Inscribed to the Captains STERLING & MILNE.  This Action commenced in a running fight between LA PIQUE and LA SEINE the former was disabled by the loss of her Main Topmast and the JASON coming up between & received the fire of the Enemy Her Action continued when the [unreadable] Ships grounded on the French Coast near Midnight LA SEINE still making a most exemplary defense, and did not surrender until totally dismasted with the loss of 170 Men killed & 100 badly wounded” 

A REPRESENTATION of the JASON 38 guns capturing LA SEINE:  Artist: John Fairburn, 1 Oct 1798
Inscription “A REPRESENTATION of the JASON 38 guns capturing LA SEINE, a FRENCH FRIGATE of 42 Guns near PENMARK ROCK, June 30th 1798  The La Pique Frigate had engaged the La Seine for a considerable time, before the Jason came up, but did unfortunately run aground in the action & bilged & was afterwards burn'd by her own crew"

 
 
Situation of Jason and La Pique the morning after the engagement: Artist: Robert Dodd
Description taken from NMM:  A depiction of the British frigates Jason and La Pique on moderate seas, flying the British ensign, with their prize, La Seine, on 29 June 1798; troops can be seen on land in the distance. The Jason is shown in the foreground in port-broadside view, behind her is La Seine with her masts cut off; La Pique (port quarter view) is on the right in the process of sinking, shown with her crew climbing down on to a rowing boat. Several other rowing boats can be seen in the foreground. The sails of the Jason and La Pique show extensive damage from cannon fire.
 
Inscription “SITUATION of the JASON and LA PIQUE with their Prize on the Morning after the Action.  Representing the Jason as just having hove off the ground.  La Pique being unfortunately bilged was cleared of her Stores and destroyed by her own Crew, the wounded Men of the Enemy were put on Shore and given in charge to a division of their [unreadable] ARMY of ENGLAND who appeared in numbers on the Beach unable to molest(?) the British Ships or prevent their captured Frigate from being brought off.”

 

What a wonderful model Derek, only just caught up on your progress. Aside from the excellent execution, the tones of the boxwood sit very nicely with the eye.

Running Rigging - brief update
 
I've not kept the log up as conscientiously as I should, partly because it is difficult to photograph the model properly in the dust cabinet, but mainly because this stage of the build is an almost identical repeat of the same stage in HMS Speedy's construction. I confess I baulked at the idea of simply mirroring my entries in the earlier log. I hope anyone wanting more details will check the latter.
 
Here's the current state of play:
 

I've completed most of the rigging to the bowsprit, along with the ties and lifts on the main and fore masts, the ties on the mizzen and the vangs on the mizzen yard. 
 
As usual I haven't secured most of the lines yet, preferring to wait until a final squaring up. 
 
I found the bowsprit a little challenging, and had to have a couple of attempts to get the various lines to run cleanly without fouling:

The first of these shots reminds me of another lesson I keep forgetting, despite keeping logs, which is that it is much easier to rig lines to eyebolts off the model. In my enthusiasm to complete the hull in line with the drawings I glued all such fittings in place long before I started thinking about the rigging, and of course I then had the pleasure of trying to seize lines on the model, usually through a cats cradle of existing ropes and spars. The one exception on the Duchess was the pair of cleats on the transom. I forgot these until I came to rig the vangs, at which point I had great fun drilling holes without destroying deck fittings and shrouds. Hey ho.
 
Similarly, I usually regret not fitting more lines to spars before attaching them to the model. Quadhands is often my saviour, although I had to develop other solutions for higher parts of the ship. Here's me rigging the main topgallant yard tie:

On a more positive note, I found that the beige 6/0 fly tying thread I rejected as an option for the crowsfeet works well as a seizing. I normally use the thinner 18/0 thread but the 6/0 version looks good on heavier lines:

Anyway, my new year's resolution will be to work harder at keeping my log up. I'll also have to work harder in the dockyard - I've got Sphinx waiting on the stocks and I've ordered Indefatigable 😁.
 
In the meantime, I'd like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year.
 
Derek 
 
 

That's not a lame question. In trying to rig decent ratlines I've tried half hitches, overhand knots and cow hitches but I always end up using clove hitches. I believe that's what was used on real ships, and most modellers do the same. 
 
The best guide I've found is this youtube video: 
 
 
Couple of points to note. He's pinned some white card behind the shrouds which makes it much easier to see what you're doing. However he's using plain card whereas I prefer to use lined card to help me get the ratlines evenly spaced and parallel with the waterline. Here's an example:

Second, he starts with an overhand knot on the first shroud whereas I prefer to start as I mean to go on - with a clove hitch. 
 
It's very easy to tighten the ratlines as you work your way up, producing an hourglass shape in the shrouds which just looks wrong. One way to help avoid this is to rig the every fifth or sixth shroud first, then fill in the gaps. Some people draw lines on the card to represent the shrouds and use these to try to keep the shrouds straight. I find that more difficult, but you might find it worth trying. 
 
Couple of other points. I try to use the finest line I can for ratlines. In real life the lower ratlines would have been made from 1.5" line (that's circumference, ie less than 0.5" in diameter). On a model that's just under 0.20mm in diameter; any thicker looks too heavy, at least to my eye.
 
Also, I find the knots can slacken quite easily, so I usually put a dab of glue (I use dilute pva or shellac) on each knot as I finish each line.
 
Finally, if you tie each clove hitch the same way there's a danger that you'll end up with 'S' shaped 'rungs' in your ratlines. Here's a photo where I've tied some rope to a pair of door handles to illustrate the point:
 

You need to try to tweak each knot as you tie it to minimise this effect. 
 
Just out of interest, I tried tying alternate knots upside down which works for the first rung, producing a nice downward curve...

...unfortunately the next rung slopes up and looks worse than an S-bend!
 
I hope this is of some help. I suggest you look at the video then try practicing some knots. Practice really is the answer although I've been practicing for years and still can't do it to my own satisfaction!
 
Derek
 

Rigging the bowsprit
 
I just had a couple of items on the hull to finish before I could start rigging. First, the rails on the quarterdeck:

 
These were straightforward to construct, with each railing made from three patterns laser cut from 1mm wood sheet. To hide the laminations I applied water-based filler to the top of the handrail and rubbed it down before painting. However the pieces are quite fragile, and despite my best efforts one of the supports broke as I was installing the starboard rail. Fortunately the kit provides 14 spares, two for each of the seven supports, each of which is slightly different:

 
The last little job was blackening and fitting the stove flue:
 

That last photo reminds me of a small detail I forgot to mention before. I like to simulate bolt heads where appropriate - two are visible on the timber just aft of the flue. For bolts like this I use an old hairbrush with black nylon bristle which are just the right diameter when inserted in a hole and trimmed off.
 
Here she is ready for rigging to commence:
 

I started with the gammoning, using about 1 metre of 0.5mm line (dark brown spun from 3 strands of Gutermann Mara):

Here's a link to my Speedy log describing the method I used. It took ten turns to fill the gammoning slot, and a lot of patience to weave the line through the head rails! In particular, the Speedy log describes how I differed slightly from the kit instructions which show the loops running parallel between the bowsprit and the slot. I followed full size practice in which each loop starts at the front of the bowsprit and goes to the aft of the slot, resulting in a twisted effect.
 
Btw, I'm no longer stressing about losing the knight's helmet's plume on the figurehead. It appears I've left no room for it, which is puzzling as I don't see how I could have fitted the figurehead and the bowsprit any differently. 
 
Next set of tasks will be finishing the rigging to the bowsprit.
 
Derek
 

Cannon
 
I haven't been able to spend much time in the workshop for the last week or so, just enough to potter around on a couple of odd jobs including making up one of the cannon:
 

Looking at the close-up the handle I've fitted in the quoin looks over-scale and I'll replace it with a smaller piece of wire.  That apart, I'm reasonably happy with the result and will follow the same process with the remaining five guns. I'll just mention the main points of interest. 
 
First, the char cleaned off well, the only tricky part being the wheel rims which I tackled by jamming them on a cocktail stick held in the lath:
 
 
I sanded the axles by hand to round them off then painted them black. 
 
I felt the kit ringbolts were too big so I made my own with 0.3mm brass wire bent round a 0.5mm drill bit:
 
 
I used a slightly different technique for the breech rings. I described this in detail in my Speedy log, from which I've copied these photos which hopefully explain the technique:

I drilled 0.4 mm holes in the carriage as there was no provision for breech rings in the kit.
 
The barrel was painted with Admiralty Ironwork Black then lightly treated with rust coloured weathering powder.
 
Here's the obligatory finger shot to show how small these little blighters really are:
 

 
Derek
 
 

Gunwales, Rail Patterns & Wales
 
Thanks as always for the likes and kind comments. 
 
Before starting on painting the upper works, I wanted to do something about the laminations visible in the gunports. Their oval shape made lining them in the normal way with thin strips of timber a challenge, so I decided to disguise them with woodfiller. I used masking tape on the inner bulwarks to prevent filler and paint getting on to them, as unlike warships they will not be painted. Here's the filler I used, and the result:
 

For paint I used Humbrol Blue #25 and Vallejo Red 70.957. In the manual James used Humbrol enamel but I prefer acrylic for wood. I wanted to try to up my game on this job, using multiple coats of thinned paints rather than slapping on a couple of thicker coats and hoping for the best. Not easy to tell in the first picture, but hopefully the close-up of the starboard bow shows the result was smooth with no visible brushmarks:

I used Tesa tape for the straight and gently curved bits, and this Modelcraft flexible tape from Vanguard Models elsewhere. @James H recommends Tesa tape and after trying it so do I - a fraction of the price of other brands and it works just as well.
 
The next job was fixing the gunwales to the hull, three lengths each side. Although each piece is precut to shape, they take a bit of preparation before they can be fitted. There has been some discussion on other logs about the importance of removing laser char, even on parts that will be painted. However I've found that it is equally important to sand laser cut parts everywhere that will show because, although the wood is good quality, the finish isn't smooth enough for painting. Here's two gunwales to illustrate the point, one sanded with 240 grit, the other not. I also like to lightly sand edges and corners to make them less sharp:
 

As a further test, I cut two pieces from the sheet the gunwales came from, sanded one and painted both:

Hopefully the difference is obvious. 
The next job was applying the rail patterns, two each side. The technique as set out in the manual was fairly straightforward - soak the bow ends in hot water, clamp to the hull and leave to dry (I did this part before painting the hull) then paint and glue in place. The manual recommends allowing the patterns to dry overnight, but I got impatient and used a hot air gun to speed the process. Seemed to work OK. Here's the port patterns clamped up:
 

The sharp eyed among you will have noticed that I'd already managed to break off all but one of the little dangly bits (nautical term 😁) under the windows. These patterns are incredibly well cut and detailed, but also incredibly fragile. Fortunately I was able to find all the missing parts, but I won't re-attach them until I come to fit the PE over them otherwise I'd be sure to snap them off again.
 
Before fitting the wales I wanted to finish sorting the gunwales. There are two places on each side where the for and aft gunwales dip down to the midships area, and in these places the laminations are exposed. Although I'd got them sanded fairly smooth I was still concerned that they would show through the paint, so I applied applied woodfiller, sanded it and painted to match the rest of the gunwales:
 
Lastly, it was onto the wales. These come precut to the shape of the hull, so after sanding, soaking in hot water, shaping on the hull and painting, I was left pondering how best to fit them. I knew from the plans and manual where the upper wales needed to go, but I was worried about getting glue on my nice WOP-ed hull. In the end I decided to use pins to fix the wale in position initially, tweaking the pin positions as necessary before committing to PVA. I used the 0.5mm pins supplied in the kit, and drilled 0.45mm holes. I drilled a series of holes in each wale first and inserted pins so they just poked through, then held one end in position against the stem. When it looked right I pressed on the first pin with a spare finger to mark the hull for  drilling. With the first pin in position, but not driven fully in, it became easier to repeat the process along the length of the wale. If necessary I took pins out, re-drilled their holes and repositioned them. Once happy with the upper wales I took them off the hull and applied PVA before pinning them back in place, this time driving the pins fully in. 
 
Next, I followed the manual's suggestion and cut a 3mm wide piece of spare limewood from the kit to act as a spacer for lower wales. This made positioning the latter easy.  Once all four wales were in place I filed the pin heads flush and painted them. Here's the current state of play:

I'm enjoying this part of the build, and looking forward to all the fancy decoration.
 
Derek
 
PS  I'm increasingly tempted not to paint the hull below the waterline. Anyone disagree?

Starboard planking
 
Thanks as always for the supportive comments and likes.
 
Here's the starboard planking finished:
 





I've applied no finish yet, just wiped her over with white spirit to remove the dust.
 
I covered the methods I used when I described planking the port side. However there are a few points of detail I ought to mention.
 
In each strake I fitted the planks at the stem and stern first then finished with one or two planks in the middle. Getting the planks shaped properly at either end of the ship is much trickier so it makes sense to get these right first. I believe the last plank fitted in a strake was known as the "shutter" plank. Here's the gap waiting for the very last shutter plank on the starboard side:

The Duchess's hull calls for some very tight curves, and I previously mentioned using my electric plank bender to achieve some of these. On a whim, I thought I'd also try a tool I bought when I first started ship modelling - the Amati plank nipper. I very quickly stopped using it when I found it left obvious marks on the good side of planks, and produced a series of straight line segments rather than a smooth curve in the wood. It's been languishing in the bottom of a drawer ever since. To my surprise I found it worked well with the thicker, better quality 1mm boxwood in this kit. Using the nipper first to start a bend, it was subsequently much easier to impart a tight bend with the electric tool:

On one particularly awkward plank I found I'd left a narrow gap against part of the preceding strake, a gap that couldn't be closed by further edge bending. Rather than PVA and sawdust, I tried using a thin shaving produced with a little Veritas block plane. I glued it to the edge of the plank, trimmed it and fitted the plank as normal.
 
A prize to the first person that spots it!

I should point out that I staged this photo with a spare piece of plank after the event as I didn't shoot it at the time. In reality I had to use a double thickness of shavings to fill the gap.
 
The last point I wanted to mention was the rabbet. This is one of many clever design elements in this kit, producing a neat finish at the stem by hiding the ends of the planks. However it's important to be aware that the planks are likely to be slightly thinner than the rabbet, which means that if you glue the ends down tight against the first planking, you're liable to see a gap between the planks and the stem. It's better to leave a slight 'spring' in the ends of the planks at the bows and, assuming you're using CA like me, to avoid pressing your fingers against the first few millimetres. This will allow the plank to press up against the top edge of the rabbet, eliminating any potential gap.
 
And I still don't know whether or not I'm going to paint the darn thing! 
 
Derek
 

Hancing pieces and volutes....
 
I'm a little embarrassed that it has been so long that I've been away, somewhat from the shipyard but also this wonderful site.  With the weather starting to turn and a bit more available time it seemed a good time to get back into things and try to pick up from a point that I left a little disheartened so many months ago.  To be able to move forward, I had to come up with a solution for the hancing pieces which should then really allow much of the final hull form to be finalised.  The problem I faced stemmed from the fact that I had to come up with a hancing piece volute 6mm high (per NMM plans) to transition the upper rails into the waist, and following a profile already established for the other rails.  Although these are not large details, they are features that to my eye need to be sufficiently elegant and accurate to avoid detracting from the lines of the hull.  I tried many different approaches, but here is the one that worked best for me and provided a method of construction that allowed consistent results.  I'll apologize in advance for quality of the photographs, I was so focused on the work and forgot to check the photo quality as I progressed.
 
2.2 mm holes were drilled using a pin vise into some 2mm pear wood (actually 1.5mm + 0.5mm pear laminated together cross grain because I didn't have any 2mm sheet stock), this matches the starting thickness used for the upper rails which started as 2x2mm square strip.  (A 2.2mm hole was found through visual trial and error to introduce the gradual narrowing of the rail into the end of the volute).  A 1.5mm diameter recess was then carefully made at the edge using a round needle file at 45deg to the bottom of the hole.  Each 'blank' was then cut from the sheet, given a slight reduced profile using an exacto blade, and a thin cut made above the filed lobe (explanation below). 

Small sections of 1.5mm diameter pear dowel were then glued into the 1.5mm recess, so they very slightly protruded above the top of the block.  Sufficient PVA glue was used to ensure that these were well bonded.  Once dry, a the top of the blanks were gently cut back and carefully finished against a circular sander so that the top edge of the blank was tangential to the top of the 2.2mm drilled hole (the cut previously made above the recess allows this section to release easily as it will no longer be needed.

A length of 2x2mm pear wood strip was scraped with the same molding profile as used previously in the build, but care taken to leave an untouched section toward the end.  The volute blanks were then attached to the unfinished end of the scraped molding.  PVA glue was used generously, and left to dry overnight to ensure a full strength bond.  Once dry, the excess was then carefully cut away to give proportions pleasing to the eye (mine at least) and ensure that the final volute form would be 6mm high.  The rough cut was then very carefully reduced to its final shape using various grades of sanding sticks.

 
Once the final shape was achieved, a profile needed to be introduced to match, and transition as smoothly as possible from the molding strip into the curve of the volute.  To do this I needed to create a second scraper profile at the very edge of a razor blade to work on the volute curve effectively (the scraper profile used previously for strip had been centered to give best control on straight strip).  This was performed very slowly as catastrophic failure would be very easy!  While it is true that it took multiple experiments to get this method down, it did work well and the four needed volutes were all first time efforts with no rework, and despite the many imperfections highlighted by the macro lens, the results to the naked eye exceeded my expectations.

In position, the volutes will now allow final shaping of the hull profile.  Onto the next challenges!

Foc's'l Planking Wrap-up:
 
Foc's'l and gangway planking is now complete.  Hopefully photo's tell the story.
 
The position of the cathead has been estimated, and a rather bizare planking arrangement was used to hopefully ensure that this will look OK once the cathead is finally installed, basically wanted the planking to be as prototypical as possible, although this will mean staring at a rather jarring joint until this is installed.  The second photo in the series below shows how I'm anticipating this will look once the cathead is in place, and which will essentially hide the joint of the waterway and the artificial planking arrangement.  Once the angle of the plank-waterway termination was less than 45 deg, a switch was made to hooking the ends of the planks, and each of these had to be cut and shaped from 6mm strip (these were tapered the same as before)

The process was continued until the area was complete.  The only deviation being that the last 2 planks on each side were tweaked a little more to try to get these as even looking as possible, and of course the last plank being the most laborious to get an acceptable fit. It is hard to see in the photos, but the curve of the plank can be challenge to ensure that the simulated caulking looks as consistent as possible.  I eperience this challenge on the quaterdeck as well, but a solution that helped here was the use of thin plates of clear mica to help position these as consistently as possible until glue sets (I use PVA glue almost exclusively for planking).

The gangway planking in the waste was pretty straightforward, (in fact the only non-shaped planks on the entire top deck) and comprised almost my last acceptable pieces 4mm maple strip.  It was very close, but I did not run out thankfully.  Photo below shows how the gangway planking 'sits' on the lip of the entryway platforms that form part of the quarterdeck.  The gangway does not have a waterway.

Finally, some overall shots of the top deck, the foc's'l has not been scraped or cleaned up at all yet, which will be the next task.  The question I ask myself is whether the time and effort to taper the foc's'l planking was worth it.  I suspect that anyone looking at this would never notice as the final effect is very subtle, but I can't help but feel that the reason this is hard to see is simply because it complements the shape of the foc's'l without drawing attention to itself.  Overall, I am very pleased with the result, and with this almost complete, it will be nice to be able to turn to other tasks.

I reworked the bollard timbers to more or less reflect the shape of those shown in the contemporary models. I then glued in all of the other head timbers and added the ringbolts for the canon rigging.





I decided to have a go at the belfry. I dashed together the kit version to see how it looked. To be sure it is not the most handsome belfry. After looking at the NMM and AOTSD drawings I can see the problem they faced in designing a piece that could be construed out of laser cut timber. The actual belfry is quite a delicate construction at 1:64 and it would be very difficult to replicate. I guess a 3D printed or cast version would be more feasible. Nonetheless I thought that I would have a stab at it.
 


First off, I made a new roof piece out of a 15 x 15 x 4mm piece of walnut. It more or less corresponds to the AOTSD dimensions albeit slightly thicker to give my clumsy hands more of a chance. I then ran it through the milling machine to get the edge mouldings and cruciform step in the middle. The internal vaults were drilled out and the roof profile was shaped using files and sandpaper.
 



I now turned my attention to the columns which had me tossing and turning at night trying to think of a way to achieve the required detailing at such a small scale. I eventually decided that the 3D printed jig was the way to go so I drew up a simplified column which then formed the basis of a jig that would sit in the vise and hopefully allow me to get a consistent product. Once it was printed out, I realised that the steps were so miniscule that there was little chance of success. Still, I persevered and loaded it up with some 2.4 x 2.4mm walnut. I then made passes with a mill bit using the jig as a guide for depth and position. After each pass the walnut blanks were given a quarter turn like kebabs on a BBQ and the process was repeated until done. The first set got all the way to the last pass before one of them popped out of the jig and received a large gouge which meant that I had to start the whole process again. The final product is a bit rough but it is really so small as to be beyond my skill level so I do not think I could produce anything significantly better. I suppose I could try using some aluminium to see if I could sharpen things up but I think that it needs to be timber to match the softness of the adjacent barricade.
 






The belfry on HMS Victory has copper sheathing on the roof so I did quite a clumsy approximation of this using some 0.3mm thick copper sheet that I had lying around.
 

To assemble the pieces together I used some 0.5mm diameter brass rod as dowels with some 1.0 mm thick walnut to form the bell beams. I am not well pleased with the bell and will have to order an aftermarket brass part for a replacement but will wait until I need enough things to get a reasonably sized order together as flying a 5x5mm brass bell 10,000km solo in business class seems excessive although I do not want to revisit the trauma experienced during the installation of the kit bell. The bell beam was secured using 0.5mm brass rod as pins and the whole assembly does swing back and forth but I think that it only has a dozen swings in it before catastrophic failure. The crank was formed out of a very delicate brass eyebolt that I found in my box of spare bits.
 





The last bit of the assembly was to include two cleats on the forward columns to satisfy the myriad of belaying points shown in the AOTSD drawings. The cast Britannia metal cleats supplied were way too large for the delicate columns but luckily, I had some PE cleats that I had procured for my Charles W. Morgan whaleboats. These were closer to the scale of those seen on the HMS Victory belfry. As small as they were they I thought they could still go on a diet so I had an attempt at removing some material using a file but mainly ended up filing my fingertips. A spot of paint and they blend right in.
 



I have been trying to give the roof a patina using Miracle-Gro and red wine vinegar but the results are a bit spotty and quite garish. I have found it is not an exact science and it may develop over time so I will let it sit for a while and see how it goes. The copper should darken and the patina should lighten.
 


 
 
 
 

i would like to wish everyone Merry Christmas, and hope everyone has a safe new year

Long time ...  The knot tying is almost over and the yards are (almost) fully rigged.  To do something a little different, I finally fitted the bowsprit and its gammoning. (sp?).  This required the use of 0.5mm black thread - F24 in the  instructions.  In the photo F24 is on the right and is the thickest of the three - about 1+mm.  The thinnest is F26 which is supposed to be 1mm, but is less than that.  It's something to look out for.  Fortunately I had some suitable leftover thread and the gammoning turned out acceptablly.
 

 

I see I haven't yet trimmed the excess thread.


 

A belated thanks for the kind comments.  There is some progress to report.  The yards are finished and their rigging is about to begin.  Here are the yards.
 

The bowsprit is complete and in the photos is dry-fitted.  The flying jib boom is dry fitted and will be fixed as late as possible.  Sticking out as it does while doing other bits and pieces is asking for trouble.
 


Finally, the anchors are done.
 


 Now comes my least-favorite part of the whole exercise: tying knots.