Beef Wellington

Post Nineteen
The oars.
A set of twelve Pearwood oars are provided in the kit. These are a scale 74mm long equating to a length of 15’6”.
However, the kit arrangement is set up for double banking, so the oars would be shorter than those used for single banking.

The contemporary model in the NMM gives a good visual impression of the oar/boat length relationship.
On this basis the kit oars should be in the order of 90mm length with a loom of 22mm.

9689
The provided oars are laser cut fare and suffer from the usual process simplification of being flat in profile, lacking the round of the shaft and the swell of the looms.

The above photo gives the correct configuration, but a lot easier to do at 1:24 scale.
 

9701(3)
It is difficult to lengthen short oars, more trouble than its worth, so the shafts will need to be scratched, altho’ I can use the blades from the kit offering.

9697(2)
Imm square stock is used for the shafts, the sections are marked, the shaft rounded below the looms, and the blade is notched to take the shaft. 
The blade requires thinning down towards the tip and a slight curve induced.
Very soft hands are required, the risk of breakage is high.
 

9710(2)

7912(2)
The relative length difference is apparent in these photos.

9706(2)
A further eleven oars are now required to make the set.
 
B.E.
09/12/22
 
 
 

I wanted to ask the forum’s advice on the bowsprit of my model.  The forward part that goes through the block or plate is beside rather than on top of the bowsprit. This matches the model’s instructions and the original builder’s plans from France.  But on HMS Victory this forward part sits directly on top of the bowsprit.  What do you think?
 
 

I'd be inclined to believe that they would modify captured vessels to configurations they were familiar with.

I added rope railings to the inboard entry ladders. Most -- actually all -- of the photos I have seen of these show ropes on both sides, but it seemed to me that the post at the aft side of the top of the stairs would make the already narrow gangway just that much narrower and hazardous, essentially useless, so I decided to add only one railing. I figure anyone who would need to use two in actual practice would have been considered a hopeless landlubber.
 

 
 

Chris - for some reason I'm not seeing the photo (?).  BTW, I like your confessional, you are now absolved 🙂

The ships of the Cruizer class, of which Speedwell was one, were built in 1752-1754 to address the prevailing French and Austrian Wars. The Admiralty wanted fast, shallow draught ships that could carry out policing operations in the Channel and Foreland Stations and discourage French privateers and smugglers. Therefore, a variety of hull design and rig combinations was employed by the Admiralty to see which best fulfilled these requirements. Some were ketch rigged (Speedwell, Fly, Happy and Ranger) while others were snow rigged (Wolf and Cruiser). All this experimentation eventually led to a refinement wherein Cruiser was given a mizzen mast (1753) and ship rigged. This proved to be so successful that the ketch rigged sloops fell out of favor as the ship rigged sloop became prevalent. With the advent of the brig-of-war later in the century the snow rig once again gained popularity.
 
(From Building Plank on Frame Ship Models, Ron McCarthy. Naval Institute Press)

Preparation of the Poop deck. The original poop deck in the kit (Session #5), did not fit at all. Tom of CAF Model sent me a replacement part that is better but will require some adjustments as we will see.
 

 
The replacement part came in one single and enormous part. Because of the negative curve on the top of the hull, it is not possible to insert it directly. My first job was to cut it into two symmetrical parts (picture above). Then patiently, I adjusted each side to fit in the best possible way.
 
All these attempts make me think that there are probably very few (if not none) modelers who have reached that stage in the construction of that kit.
 

 
The front view of the upper deck, clearly shows that it is missing one beam, not provided in the kit. I will be offering a solution soon.
 

 
The rear need to be reworked extensively to accept the rounded ceiling, above the rear balcony.
 
Finally, an overall view of the model, showing that most details are now completely occult-ed: 
 

 
Yves
 
 
 
 

I added stump masts today. I think these make a huge visual difference, as now the knowledgeable viewer knows this is supposed to be a hull model and is not simply an unrigged model.
 

 
BTW, I did not glue the masts in, just in case I ever get a wild hair and decide to add real masts -- an unlikely event, I feel, but one never knows.

Hellooooo! 
 
From my last post, I see it's been over a year since I've updated this log. In the meantime, I've commenced on a kit-build of HMS Bellona (Corel) (which I've also had to take a break from given demands of work these past months), but the Bluenose has not been too far from my mind, and as Christmas approaches and the end of my semester looms, I'm looking forward to getting some work done on BN. 
 
Before the lengthy hiatus from this build, I had started on the quarterdeck planking - laying only the first two strakes along the centreline. The planking pattern of the quarterdeck follow the narrowing of the ship's beam aft, and since I'm a little "spatially challenged" as my kids might say I'll need to do some studying to work out how to approach this properly. I'll be returning to the workbench tomorrow to start this. More to follow shortly
hamilton

I can now see it Chris.

Chris - for some reason I'm not seeing the photo (?).  BTW, I like your confessional, you are now absolved 🙂

I can now see it Chris.

Chris - for some reason I'm not seeing the photo (?).  BTW, I like your confessional, you are now absolved 🙂

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VCTPCJQ/
 
I purchased a portable spindle sander. The $55 price is perfect for the first scratch builder.  
 

Post seventeen
 Oarlocks/Thole pins
The kit provided oarlocks are of brass etch comprising a base plate into which the tiny pin and bracket combinations fit.
At this scale replicating wooden pins is out of the question; the brackets are a possibility but would present a very fiddly exercise.
The problem with the base plate is that it would stand proud of the capping rail which I don’t really want, on the other hand, the pre-drilled holes for the pins give a uniform distance between them.
I finally decided that the kit parts were the least worst option.

9650
The base plates in position, they have been chemically blackened to provide a key for painting.
 
As previously mentioned in the log, the kit layout is somewhat suspect. Barges were traditionally rowed single banked and so the tholes will be arranged on each thwart alternatively port and starboard.

9648
This arrangement allows for twelve oarsmen to power the barge. One of the benefits using the longer oars is that there is a greater leverage, altho’ the relative narrowness of barges would make double banking more problematic.
Aesthetically I think boats look more elegant crewed like this.
 
With the second part of the assembly there is a high risk of the parts pinging off into the ether due to difficulty in holding whilst working.
I found it necessary to file the pins a little where they fitted into the base plates.
 
I so very nearly made it, but two pins were lost during fitting leaving me a thwart short of tholes, so bloody annoying.😒

9653
The first plate, port side, can be seen without the pins/brackets, I will try to make replacements perhaps using styrene.

9654
The plates and brackets have been painted to match the capping rails.
 
B.E.
05/12/22
 
 

I welcome everyone!  
  I installed artillery of the main caliber in the casemates.

Thank you all for your likes and comments. I am glad that my work is of interest and may be useful to someone.  
 
 
Group photo of guns.

Andy, at your request, I returned the match to its place.  

You can view many models on the NMM site which I would definitely recommend.  Books are an investment, but some I have invested in are the Rogers Collection Volumes 1&2 and 'The Sailing Frigate' by Gardiner, and 'The Ship of the Line' by Lavery.  Both of the latter titles walk you through chronologically the evolution of ships interpreted through existing models.  Absorbing all of the wonderful images of original models is something I will never tire of.  It quickky becomes clear that there are many variations as has been pointed out.  It is also clear that models do not always represent what is probably actual practice on ships - this leads to the first question to think through which is do you want to build a 'model of a model', or a model of the ship as it likely existed - there is bountiful evidence of the former, but not the latter.  There are many examples, some of the most noteworthy being that models often appear highly decorated with friezes on blue backgrounds - likely not practical on a real ship, but very appealing to model makers when it seemed to be in fashion.  The other consideration would be availability of paint colours - during the period in question, many colours existed but would have proved prohibitively expensive to all but the richest captains - so its most likely that red and yellow ochre predominated given its availability and low(er) cost.  This does seem to be reflected on most contemporary models, which do not typically show multi-coloured stern decorations (or gold which seems to be some people's preference).  Moving into early 19th century, white and green paint became more fashionable, and affordable and these started to replace the 'ochres'.
 
These, and many more considerations suggest, as has been pointed out above, that there is not really a 'correct' answer, the best you are likely to achieve is 'directionally correct' 🙂
 
For what its worth, I am shamelessly taking the 'model of a model' approach for 'Jason', it is highly unlikely that any of the Artois class would have been so beautifully decorated.  Indeed the only print I can find of 'Jason' shows her with the ubiquitous black hull with a stripe between gunports.

I was looking at the alignment of 3 ships... is that enough to call it: Ships of the line?

This model seems to sum up the concept of "less is more".  You've done a fantastic job of her, the painting and weathering is very convincing.

Goodness but did I struggle to get my mind around the bowsprit.  The Heller instructions are terrible.  Thankfully I could use others’ builds of the same kit, plus the box art as a guide.   Upon close examination under my magnifier light I saw that there were very slight score marks on the bowsprit to show where the small pieces are affixed.  I also filled the bowsprit with toothpicks to give it resistance from bending.
 
 

Thank you, Chuck, it's a testy little beggar and I'm struggling to achieve the finish on my models of the Queen Anne Barge, Pinnace, and Longboat. Scale does have advantages.
 
Post Sixteen
For the capping rails that don’t feature on the basic kit I use strips of fret which provide a great source of material for modifications on small scale models.

9620

9621
The degree of the bow turn and size of material just about allows for edge bending rather than cutting out.

9623
The rails are glued progressively along the gunwale using ca. I start at the bow, and it helps to dampen the underside of the rail which increases the grab of the ca.
The process proved less problematic than I had imagined.

9626

9625

9633
With the rails in place the look of the barge is much improved. 
 
Getting there slowly, but each macro reveals further areas needing a tweak or touch-in of the paint work.
 
 The thole pins are up next.
 
B.E.
03/12/22
 

I given up on the sticker... I will definitely put a door there and I might give painting a try but otherwise I will just leave it blue. At the moment i have other things to paint but not sure what colours I will use... Just primed it.

By the way... I ran into some problems and found the solution in your buildlog of Jason. You are supposed to use brass profiles for the raildetails... but Caldercraft put the wrong ones in my kit (profile 2 instead of 1). So I decided to create my own with wood instead by scraping. So I design my own tool and it worked!