Beef Wellington

Thanks all for the comments...
 
This is why I seem to make such slow progress, decided that I couldn't live with the knightheads as they were so had a go at fixing.  Photos pretty self explanatory, removed the paint, loosened the PVA glue by saturating with rubbing alchohol and filled the holes.  I then shortened the knightheads by the thickness of the rail and pinned securely in place. Much happier with the result and the deviation from the plans, I'll leave everything else as is.
 

Thanks all for the comments...
 
This is why I seem to make such slow progress, decided that I couldn't live with the knightheads as they were so had a go at fixing.  Photos pretty self explanatory, removed the paint, loosened the PVA glue by saturating with rubbing alchohol and filled the holes.  I then shortened the knightheads by the thickness of the rail and pinned securely in place. Much happier with the result and the deviation from the plans, I'll leave everything else as is.
 

Thank you, ZyXuz.
 
I was busy again. The skylights, hatches, pawl bitts, fore bitts and the companion are assembled and painted.
 

 

 

 

Hamilton, you're too kind...and I'm still pondering.
 
After some reading I found the following (not for the Snake of course), clearly shows the timberhead above a port, so that could be OK.  However, this also shows the knightheads much closer to the bowsprit (as Hamilton describes) and sort of what I would have expected for this to be a pretty fundamental to any ship design.  I'll wait for others thoughts and opinions before I resort to anything drastic with the knightheads.

Carl, good to hear from you
 
Building 18 carronades is quite frankly, tedious!  Haven't had much in the way of build time recently but I'm getting close - they are simply very fiddly and with so many to do its a task I need to break up.  Worked on getting some more of the structural bow details on, namely the timberheads and the fore pinrail. I had already cut the holes for the pins of the pinrsil before I had installed the fore platform as it would be next to impossible to do afterwards.  Photos are pretty self explanatory.
 
I decided to try and shape the timberheads a bit to give them less of a 'cut out of plywood' look which was pretty straightforward.  First picture shows the before and after comparison.
 
One thing I'm not sure of and as always would appreciate comments and suggestions.  The second photo shows the side profile once complete, and I have timberhead sitting right over the bridleport which doesn't seem quite right.  These were placed into the holes pre-cut in the capping rail, but books I references seem to indicate that these would have been adjacent to the port (see second picture).  The difference is quite a bit and the plans are less than clear on this.  Not sure I can change anything, but I wonder if the capping rails should have met at the front of the bow, this would be closer but still not completely right.  It would also prevent the bowsprit from fitting unless the ends were trimmed.  None of this is mentioned in the instructions of course, and of course it wasn't apparent until I was cleaning my paintbrush!  Are the knightheads too far apart, should they be closer to the bowsprit?
 

Copper plating the hull.
                                  Firstly I decided to go with the copper plates supplied with the kit although I much preferred the look of the ones used on Pegasus, the cost would have been over £100 to update them too much for me.  I started from the edge of the keel and fixed a row of tiles left over from Pegasus on the edge, I then came down 3 Rows before running a gore line, I did it by eye and feel and looking back at Pegasus to get the same sort of effect, as there does not seem to be a definitive way of doing this. One advantage I have found with these plates are they fix very well, maybe it is the dimples on the fixing side holding the cyno better than a plain flat surface, they also cut well and dress down fairly easily with a file or sanding wheel, when you need to make up the triangular stealers.
 
First few tiles on

 
Gore line marked out

 
Gore line tiled

 
About a quarter done


 
 
First side nearly done



 
 
 
 
 

Carl, good to hear from you
 
Building 18 carronades is quite frankly, tedious!  Haven't had much in the way of build time recently but I'm getting close - they are simply very fiddly and with so many to do its a task I need to break up.  Worked on getting some more of the structural bow details on, namely the timberheads and the fore pinrail. I had already cut the holes for the pins of the pinrsil before I had installed the fore platform as it would be next to impossible to do afterwards.  Photos are pretty self explanatory.
 
I decided to try and shape the timberheads a bit to give them less of a 'cut out of plywood' look which was pretty straightforward.  First picture shows the before and after comparison.
 
One thing I'm not sure of and as always would appreciate comments and suggestions.  The second photo shows the side profile once complete, and I have timberhead sitting right over the bridleport which doesn't seem quite right.  These were placed into the holes pre-cut in the capping rail, but books I references seem to indicate that these would have been adjacent to the port (see second picture).  The difference is quite a bit and the plans are less than clear on this.  Not sure I can change anything, but I wonder if the capping rails should have met at the front of the bow, this would be closer but still not completely right.  It would also prevent the bowsprit from fitting unless the ends were trimmed.  None of this is mentioned in the instructions of course, and of course it wasn't apparent until I was cleaning my paintbrush!  Are the knightheads too far apart, should they be closer to the bowsprit?
 

Carl, good to hear from you
 
Building 18 carronades is quite frankly, tedious!  Haven't had much in the way of build time recently but I'm getting close - they are simply very fiddly and with so many to do its a task I need to break up.  Worked on getting some more of the structural bow details on, namely the timberheads and the fore pinrail. I had already cut the holes for the pins of the pinrsil before I had installed the fore platform as it would be next to impossible to do afterwards.  Photos are pretty self explanatory.
 
I decided to try and shape the timberheads a bit to give them less of a 'cut out of plywood' look which was pretty straightforward.  First picture shows the before and after comparison.
 
One thing I'm not sure of and as always would appreciate comments and suggestions.  The second photo shows the side profile once complete, and I have timberhead sitting right over the bridleport which doesn't seem quite right.  These were placed into the holes pre-cut in the capping rail, but books I references seem to indicate that these would have been adjacent to the port (see second picture).  The difference is quite a bit and the plans are less than clear on this.  Not sure I can change anything, but I wonder if the capping rails should have met at the front of the bow, this would be closer but still not completely right.  It would also prevent the bowsprit from fitting unless the ends were trimmed.  None of this is mentioned in the instructions of course, and of course it wasn't apparent until I was cleaning my paintbrush!  Are the knightheads too far apart, should they be closer to the bowsprit?
 

I hope so Chris, HMS Shannon would be fantastic, and I can't believe much modification would be needed to make others of the class either (bit like the Vanguard/Belerophon/Elephant kit), and surely would be more of  a commercial bet with Trincomalee having been restored as well.  Now, how quickly can I get one? 

Hi Ferit, I'm embarrassed I've only just been able to catch up fully on your beautiful Berlin build log.  The ship you made really doesn't look like a kit at all, and the wood tone and your detailed craftsmanship have really done her proud.   I love that you described yourself as an "obsessed beginner" - there is nothing wrong with positive 'obsession' like yours, although I'd argue with the 'beginner' - looks like you've mastered so much already.  The ship looks very natural as if the crew have just popped below for bit to eat, I love that look.  Great stuff, can't wait to see more.

Hi Mobbsie, that coppering looks fantastic, a lot to get through!  I assuming that the Aggie comes with the same white metal gudgeons/pintles as the Snake, and it look like you had a similar curve to the corners of your rudder rebates.  Its probably worth squaring these off as well as the pintles to make sure you get a good fit.  I'm also wondering if you'll run into challenges gluing the pintles in place with the raised dimples on the plates preventing these adhering very well.  The Snake instructions recommend to simply paint the inside surface with copper paint, its really not noticeable when finished.

M - thanks for watching over my shoulder
 
 
Robert, here you go, hope you're not disappointed...she had her first trip outside for some beauty shots.  The Snake doesn't have the most beautiful lines of the other ships on here (Mars and Pegasus esp.), but maybe a certain "utilitarian elegance".
 

Ray, you're way more experience than me, but I definitely agree with your approach.  I don't know why CC put the coppering so far into the build instructions, it just seems to make it that much harder to manage and like you I liked to have the freedom to work on the hull without worrying about breaking anything delicate.  I love the way she is looking already, the planking, wood tone and the black look very nice indeed!

Stergios, you must be confusing me with someone else! I'm learning this stuff just as much as the next man, sharing my thoughts only because I really value those of others - sure its not the only way.
 
I didn't consider the 24lb'ers simply because I wanted to keep as historically accurate as I could, purely my own personal preference. Looking forward to seeing what you decide.

The main wale                       The main wale planking was done next; again the timber needed dressing before it could be used, as the edges were very rough. After all the planks were fixed I taped over the top thinner plank so as to protect it, and to maintain the difference when rubbing down the rest of the wale. The wale was rubbed down and filled and top plank uncovered and the whole wale painted black.
The whole of the hull including the wale was given a coat of 50/50 satin water based varnish and water, I use this as a sealer, I find both paint and the copper tiles adhere to it very well (I did a test strip to make sure).
 
First plank on

 
Ready to fill and paint


 
Narrow top wale plank

 
Wale in progress and lined gun ports

 
Masked up and painted

 
Wale completed and 50% water-varnish sealer on



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Have been working/tinkering with the "chain problem".  Decided to just plow ahead and have a go at making my own from wire. Pictures are pretty self explanatory, these are yet to be finally fixed but seem to indicate that this approach will work just fine.  It illustrates the issue because the chainplate brackets have no room for movement as they are exactly the same length/width as the wale to which they attach.  The lack of a gap in the chain loop looks much more authentic to my eye - the downside is that it will take much longer to complete.  Photos are of the starboard fore chains.
 

Have been working/tinkering with the "chain problem".  Decided to just plow ahead and have a go at making my own from wire. Pictures are pretty self explanatory, these are yet to be finally fixed but seem to indicate that this approach will work just fine.  It illustrates the issue because the chainplate brackets have no room for movement as they are exactly the same length/width as the wale to which they attach.  The lack of a gap in the chain loop looks much more authentic to my eye - the downside is that it will take much longer to complete.  Photos are of the starboard fore chains.
 

Had a naming ceremony! Credit for this goes to Blue Ensign whose excellent approach on his Pickle build I poached for applying the lettering, which are letraset 5mm gold Times New Roman dry rub transfers. Easy to apply, but alignment is a bit tricky - looks better in person for some reason. I tried to get the letters to follow the curve of the underside of the stern.
 

It's all looking very good Jason, you really do neat work.
 
Re the  capsquares on the long guns:-  I used a small eyebolt with a small portion clipped off the eye to  represent the hinge that fitted on the rear of the capsquare. The shortened stem of the eyebolt fitted in a hole drilled immediately behind the capsquare and the now open eye  fitted into the hole in the capsquare. At the scale involved I think it does a fair representation of the hinge.
 
I searched for a while to find chain that was sufficiently small for the capsquare securing bolt. I eventually found some at Jotika at 42 links per inch which is what I used.
 
Here's the link to their online shop.
 
http://www.shipwrightshop.com/shop/contents/en-uk/d59_Thread-Chain-Wire_02.html
 
For the bolt I just used a squeezed together 0.3mm brass etched eyelet, also from Jotika.
 
http://www.shipwrightshop.com/shop/contents/en-uk/d58_Mast-Detail-and-Rigging-Fittings_01.html
 
Incidently those etched eyelets sold in packs of 250 are always worth having, they come in handy for lots of modelling jobs where tiny eyebolts are required.
 
Regards,
 
M.

Still watching quietly Andy, shes looking very nice indeed, love the way that your shrouds are looking, you've confirmed my desire to have a go at serving when I finally get to do my shrouds.

Thanks for the compliments, greatly appreciated always.
 
Build update:  
 
Presently have been working on the headrail and associated pieces, but while I was waiting for some bending pieces to cure I decided to build up the six carronades required for the poop deck.
 
When purchasing the material for this build I decided to purchase the carronades from Caldercraft.  These seem to be the closest size for this scale, plus the came with the elevation screw.
 
Carronade assembly as follows:
1. Added breeching ring 20 gauge wire.
2. Shaped out of boxwood piece, drilled hole for mounting pin and glued to bottom of carronade.
3. Cut 1/8"dowel 1/16", drill center hole, slipped down screw, drilled two hole and glued 24 gauge wire handles.
4. Screwed onto carronade and cut screw (looking at magnified picture will cut off more, plus pic shows I need some cleanup).
5. Painted after treating brass pieces in Blacken-it.  Paint used Admiralty matt (metal) black.
 
Carronade carriage assembly as follows:
1. Cut and shaped two platform pieces out of basswood and painted red.
2. Made nine eyelids for each carriage out of 28 gauge wire and attached.
3. Added two more eyelids and rings out of 24 gauge wire for breeching rope.
4. Made and shaped wheel assembly plates out of thin styrene, cut round toothpicks 1/8" for wheels, glued pieces and added to bottom of carriage.  Initially, had an additional wood pieces on bottom as my carronade drawing showed, but when I put this on the ship was too high off the deck therefore removed and cut wheel plates in half.
5. Made the pin for the carronade out of filed down toothpick through draw plate.
6. Made the two side pin holders out of 1/8" dowel, filed bottom flat, and a strip of wood for bottom piece, glued together then drilled the hole for pin.
7. Glued carronade to carriage.
8. Made front pin plate out of thin styrene, added pin, painted black and glued to carriage.
 
Next up: mounting and rigging to poop deck.
 
Take care and if your reading this thanks for looking in.

As mentioned, I wanted to arm her with the common armament at the time and deviate from the kit.  I ordered a pair of Caldercraft 9lbers which are pretty much the same size as the 6lb'ers which are commonly referenced.  These still need a bit of tidying up, and I'm going to try to simulate a bracket for the cap square as well as a chain for the cotter pin that I think should go into the front hole (the instructions simply call for two round headed pins) but I think something else would look better.  Not sure how to do the very small chain yet...The paint finish looks a lot smoother in person, I brushed rather than sprayed and they seemed to turn out OK.

 
Also wanted to see how these will likely sit on the deck.  I plan to mount these in the foremost gunports as seems to be commonly described.  You can see that its going to be pretty crowded up front as well.  Its also interesting to see the lack of real difference in size between the 32lb'er carronade and the 6/9lb'er cannon.  Its easy to see why the admiralty started to equip these ships with carronades given the increase in broadside weight and manpower reduction possible with the carronades.  The fore ladders need some final shaping but its clear there is not a lot of room to position these.

As mentioned, I wanted to arm her with the common armament at the time and deviate from the kit.  I ordered a pair of Caldercraft 9lbers which are pretty much the same size as the 6lb'ers which are commonly referenced.  These still need a bit of tidying up, and I'm going to try to simulate a bracket for the cap square as well as a chain for the cotter pin that I think should go into the front hole (the instructions simply call for two round headed pins) but I think something else would look better.  Not sure how to do the very small chain yet...The paint finish looks a lot smoother in person, I brushed rather than sprayed and they seemed to turn out OK.

 
Also wanted to see how these will likely sit on the deck.  I plan to mount these in the foremost gunports as seems to be commonly described.  You can see that its going to be pretty crowded up front as well.  Its also interesting to see the lack of real difference in size between the 32lb'er carronade and the 6/9lb'er cannon.  Its easy to see why the admiralty started to equip these ships with carronades given the increase in broadside weight and manpower reduction possible with the carronades.  The fore ladders need some final shaping but its clear there is not a lot of room to position these.

As mentioned, I wanted to arm her with the common armament at the time and deviate from the kit.  I ordered a pair of Caldercraft 9lbers which are pretty much the same size as the 6lb'ers which are commonly referenced.  These still need a bit of tidying up, and I'm going to try to simulate a bracket for the cap square as well as a chain for the cotter pin that I think should go into the front hole (the instructions simply call for two round headed pins) but I think something else would look better.  Not sure how to do the very small chain yet...The paint finish looks a lot smoother in person, I brushed rather than sprayed and they seemed to turn out OK.

 
Also wanted to see how these will likely sit on the deck.  I plan to mount these in the foremost gunports as seems to be commonly described.  You can see that its going to be pretty crowded up front as well.  Its also interesting to see the lack of real difference in size between the 32lb'er carronade and the 6/9lb'er cannon.  Its easy to see why the admiralty started to equip these ships with carronades given the increase in broadside weight and manpower reduction possible with the carronades.  The fore ladders need some final shaping but its clear there is not a lot of room to position these.

Channels fixed in place and painted awaiting chains which will be tackled soon