Beef Wellington

Hi Andy, that looks frustrating.  It seems to be that the kit curt part did not adequately account for the curvature of the hull.  The good part is when you make your own parts, there are never mistakes....not 🙂

Hi Andy, that looks frustrating.  It seems to be that the kit curt part did not adequately account for the curvature of the hull.  The good part is when you make your own parts, there are never mistakes....not 🙂

Hi Andy, that looks frustrating.  It seems to be that the kit curt part did not adequately account for the curvature of the hull.  The good part is when you make your own parts, there are never mistakes....not 🙂

Finally another progress update! The going is slow but progress is being made:D
 
First up, some sprucing up of the cannons. I added the eyelets that rope the cannons to the bulwarks as well as small strips of the copper plating from the hull to hold the cannons to the carriages. The dimples of the copper plating give it a nice studded look.

 
Next I tackled the masts. I only had a grinder and a few files to use with a vise-grip, so tapering and making different sections square and round again presented a rather interesting challenge. Through a technical error that Huawei can't explain to me, I lost all my cellphone photos so sadly I have no progress shots of this step. I also added all the blocks and railings and such.

 

 

 
I also had progress photos of tying the woolding but have lost those too:'(

 
I then did the bowsprit but opted not to bevel the bowsprit cap as I felt the risk-benefit ratio wasn't good enough and the problems then encounter with the angle of the holes in the cap also didn't seem worth it.

 
I ran into some trouble fitting the mizzen mast into the deck as I had not glued the binnacle and ships wheel on with sufficient space to account for the angle/slope of the mizzen. I also had to do lots of filing of the deck and keel holes as they did not align nicely to allow the masts passage.

 
The finished look of the masts:

 
My dust-preventing dishtowel now no longer suffices so I cut up two boxes to give my hard work some much needed protection:

 
Between doing the masts I have also been tacking the ship's boats. It was difficult to get back into planking again after a few year's gap, and on such a minute scale! I was very glad to have a layer to practice on that could be covered over with the second planking! The bigger boat didn't go too badly. I lost the progress photos but here is the hull sanded and wood-filler-ed:

 
The little guy gave me endless trouble! First off the bulkheads, although carefully numbered before cutting out, seemed to be in the wrong order such that a plank lying across them missed the bulkheads either side of the middle bulkhead as shown by the gaps in the photo below:

 
I also struggled a lot with the curvature. I first tried planking top down as the instructions recommended but had to cut a plank in the middle to make the curvature which I wasn't happy with:

 
Side two I tried planking from the bottom up but ran into different problems and still wasn't entirely satisfied with the result:

 
For the second planking I opted to instead start in the middle:

 
This seemed to work much better and I was finally happy with my work! I still need to fit the keel plank on this one before sanding and wood-filler-ing.

 
Lastly, I have begun with planking the inside of the bigger boat after removing the bulkhead tabs:

 
That's all for now! Hopefully it won't be almost a year again before the next update!
 

Hi David,

I do not wish to hijack your log with more scuttle speculation but I am currently building a Diana and I am following your build with great interest. I have been looking closely at these openings and I believe that the AOTS drawings are correct albeit lacking in granular detail. The sectional drawing shows the scuttles flush without coamings as highlighted below and the double line around the scuttles with the mitred corners shown on the plans represents the flush frame of the hatch cover. This can be seen in the below photo of the same scuttle cover on the HMS Trincomalee (admittedly built 22 years later). I guess whatever way you go it is the modeler's perogative.

Good luck,
David

Thank you Yves.
 
Post Ninety
More beams and more guns.
I firstly need to get all the beams prepped and the guns assembled before things can progress.

5891
The beams are painted red on the fore and aft side which was a traditional  practise for the beams  forward of the stern cabin areas.
Great care has to be taken in removing the char particularly from those beams with notches for the carlings. Too much pressure during sanding without support and they will snap which will make it difficult to  maintain the deck camber shape.

5887
I did as a pre-caution have to provide a temporary prop to support  beam ‘h’ which appeared to be a little ‘soft’ around the port side carling notch.
 
The remaining four guns below the Qd are prepped.

5913(2)
This time I used Windsor & Newton  matt spray varnish to seal the surface.

5916(2)
Whoever left this ordnance uncovered on the Gun Wharf will spend a week in the bilboes.

5934(2)

5935(2)
Another four completed, twelve to go.
 
Safety rails are required for the Aft ladderway
In this area removeable iron stanchions would be in place due to the proximity to the Capstan.

5920
The  provided etch version do not suit my eye. Again it’s a question of profile.

5928
I  made up some replacements.

5938
The Upper deck Capstan is fitted along with the pawls.

5944
And the final action of this stage is to add the aft Chain pump stanchions and the Main Jeer Bitts.
I did fettle the cross beam a little at the outer ends.

5952

5951

5956
Time consuming stuff this detailing of fittings.
 
B.E.
03/03/22
 

Allan and Jason thanks very much for your comments on my dilemma over the quarterdeck scuttles.
 
I have looked again at both the plan of the quarterdeck (ZAZ2363) and the inboard deck plan (ZAZ2359) from the NMM archives and my reading is that the top tackle scuttles do not have coamings. The ledges for the pump scuttles are shown on the deck plan but I can't see openings marked on the inboard sectional view in the same way the tackle scuttles are marked, although I have no doubt that they should be there. The two models said to be of Diana, (SLR0342 and SLR0572) shown in The Sailing Frigate, only show hatches with coamings down the centre line for the gratings and ladderway on the quarterdeck.
 
I'm a relative newcomer to ship models but from the drawings and models, I think that for authenticity, the coamings should not be present for the scuttles. I'm still hesitating over which way to go  and although I have started to plank around the top tackle scuttles, it wouldn't be a big problem to go with a plain deck.
 
David

There is a high resolution (39mb) contemporary inboard profile drawing of Seahorse 1794, an Artois class vessel on the Wiki commons site.  It shows how high the tops of the scuttles are above the decks. The same low res drawing is also on the RMG Collections website.)  The high resolution drawing is at
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ship_plans_of_the_Royal_Museums_Greenwich   Scroll to the second page and there are several drawings of her including the inboard profile (J7956) which shows the heights above the deck of all the coamings on each deck.  There is one opening on the QD about 2 or 3 feet aft of the main mast that does not show a coaming.  The others on all decks do have coamings of various heights above the decks.
 
There appear to be coamings on the contemporary model of Diana at RMG  https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-66533   
 
 There is a complete set of drawings of the Artois class including another inboard profile drawn in 1793    https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-82176  but it is low resolution so difficult to see as clearly as the high resolution drawing mentioned above.
 
Allan
 
 

Black primer on this morning, along with the anchor chafing plate and hawse lip.
 

 
Chafing plate is laser-cut .015". laser board

Forward some more!
 
The sanding went better than I expected, but still a drawn out process. There remains only a bit of final touch up here and there, but otherwise the inboard framing has been sanded down to its prescribed thickness.
 
I have taken a break from sanding to work a little more on the stern trim pieces. I am leaning towards keeping the upper counter unpainted, and probably most of the QGs as well.
 

 

 
I did paint the transom the same dark blue I used on the upper works. A little sanding and another coat of paint still to go, but I'm happy with the colour.
 

 

 
I have now come to a bit of a crossroads. I am wondering about skipping ahead a little and doing the inboard planking now, while I still have open access through the QG openings (to sand the plank ends cleanly). Comments or suggestions are welcome.
 
Andy

Thanks everyone for the "likes".
 
A small update, this time movement has only been in a forward direction!
 
I have made up and planked the quarter gallery stools (both port and starboard):
 

 
I've also made up the moulded trim, but I've decided against affixing it for the moment. I will eventually stain the QG stools and trim. I have not yet decided how I will finish them, colour wise, I think I will keep my options open for now.
 
I've also begun tackling the laborious task of thinning and fairing down the inside of the bulwarks (does Chuck own shares in a  sandpaper manufacturing company? 😜). Anyway, a necessary exertion.
 

 
At some point in time during yesterday afternoon's sanding session (it's all a bit of a dusty blur at the moment), it occurred to me that this is going to be a multi session process over a few days (blatant statement of the obvious! 🙄). The basswood parts sand fairly easily, but the frames are a little bit more resistant to the abrasive effects of 80grit sandpaper, care and caution are absolutely warranted. I've made myself a rudimentary depth gauge to hopefully help make sure I don't over do it:
 

 
The little notch is 5/32". The top of the bulwark, including the outer planking should sit flush in the notch. At the bottom, the frame should fit into the notch with the gauge resting on the inside of the outer planking for a total width of 7/32".... in theory....
 
Luckily with everything going on in the world these past two years, I have a ready supply of masks to help ward off inhaling too much dust (silver linings!). 
 
Andy

So it has been a two-steps-forward-one-step-back (and a jump to the left) kind of weekend. One thing I will say about this kit, while it is not necessarily the hardest kit to assemble, there are many many (many) opportunities to mess things up (with unforeseeable consequences!).
 
My latest adventure with the paint thinner/PVA de-bonder involved the transom.
 
My earlier apprehensions have proven well founded. I did end up gluing it on as everything seemed ok. I then started to thicken the forward side, as described in the instructions. I stopped after one layer and decided that I should switch my attention to the upper counter and get that planked before I was too far committed to the transom to be able to fix any problems. And boy were there problems.
 
The first problem was the curve of the planks on the lower counter was just slightly off to match the curve at the bottom of the transom. This was easily overcome by sneaking in a sliver of planking at the top of the lower counter to correct the curve. After staining, it has all but disappeared, and will disappear further when the trim is added later. Issue solved. Whew. Or so I thought.
 
The second problem required more intensive reconstruction. There was an ever so slight gap between the port side of the transom and the outer end of the upper counter planking. Not large, about 0.5mm. Just enough to be noticeable, and problematic. I slept on the problem and this morning decided the only course of action was to remove and reposition the transom. The upper part of the transom came away fairly easily. The bottom proved much more fragile. The grain in the wood runs vertically, and so it was a particularly fragile section. I expected a split or two to happen, but it shouldn't have been too much of an issue. I managed to get the transom off in two pieces, then trouble occurred. As I left the pieces to dry, the lower piece took on a big warp. It no longer followed the arc of the windows, but curled downwards. Being cross grained, correcting the warp would be impossible without turning it into a series of splinters. 
 
But was not lost. I hauled out the fret from whence the transom came. The stern window curves are essentially parallel to each other and the bottom edge, so I cut a section out of the fret to replace the curly piece.
 

 
Aside from a couple of faint lines (not visible due to the clamps), the repair was successful, the transom reinstalled, and after a little bit of clean up, work can continue moving forward again. Until the next speed bump. 
 
I should add, that despite the warping issue, the acrylic paint thinner does a great job at de-bonding PVA. It contains glycol ethers, but it doesn't evaporate quickly like isopropyl alcohol, so it can really soak into the joint and soften the glue.
 
Andy

before putting it away again i managed to get some more work done of the forecastle, at present i don't know when she will come back
 





 
 

Thanks to AJohnson for the like
 
Scuppers
Continuing work on the outer hull, I have fitted the scuppers.
 
These were made from electrical connectors, not sure of the proper name, bought from ebay for HMS Fly.
 
Some scuppers are very close to the deadeye links so their positions were marked using a length of cord set at mast-top height and led through the appropriate slot in the channel.
 

In the photo the black covered ones are 2mm and the blue 1.5: just right for 5 and 4” scuppers respectively. The plastic sheath is cut off and the inside painted with Tamiya Dark Iron.
 
.The length is also just right for the width of the bulwarks to meet the waterway
 

 

 
 
I think that it’s time to leave the hull and finish fitting out the upper deck.
 

Just stunning Chuck....

Wonderfully executed planking Jason, up to your usual very high standrad
 
Cheers
 
Pat

What a beautiful deck, Jason. It's really a fantastic job.

Jason
Anyone  building a kit model should spend an hour or two studying your build log.  You are showing what can be done to modify the plethora of unattractive items  found in the majority of kit models into an expertly done piece of craftsmanship.   
Kudos
Allan

Very nice work.

Beautiful ship and excellent build! 

Fantastic work, Jason!
 
Thomas

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.

Post Eighty-six
 
Having a Knees up
Chris was thoughtful enough to provide optional hanging knees with the kit (Plan11 drawing 7)

5788(2)
Beautifully cut, and I’m very relieved not to have to tackle making those.
Unfortunately the Lodging Knees are something I will have to tackle myself, What joy!

5790(2)
In the absence of any other relevant data I have  scaled up the lodging knees from the 1/128 scale drawings in the AotS Pandora book, drew them out by hand, and then onto some 0.8mm Pear for a template.
 
Not the most accurate approach to the job, but my eye will be the final arbiter on the look.
 
 
The longitudinal side of these knees (that run along the bulwark)  vary according to the the space between the beams so I will make them all to the longest side and trim them to suit.
 
There are 34 paired knees to be made, the shape transferred to some Boxwood sheet for cutting on the scroll saw and finishing by hand.

5794
So on a wet and windy Sunday morning, it looks like a good day to spend a couple of hours in the Machine shop.

5791
The Boxwood sheet matches the beam thickness.

5795(2)
All done bar the finishing, I shall work them two by two as I move along fitting the beams.
 
B.E.
20/02/22
 

16: Bridge
 
Work on the bridge has started. It began with an internal skeleton made of six formers. This was then wrapped with a single-piece wall and topped with a deck.

 
The various control panels were doubled.

 
Then work commenced on the many, many elements that will be added to this small structure. Here's the progress so far on the forward elements. These brought the bridge parts count to 29.

 
Cheers!

I have recently been reading about scale effect of paints.  As colors appear more muted and grey from farther away.  The same effect applies to models. The smaller the scale, the more muted and grey the color should be.
 
That leads to considerations for bright metals on models; copper sheathing and the gold carvings under discussion. While I know that in both cases there is a desire to use the real thing, a more convincing effect might be gained with paint where the color can be controlled.
 
Roger