harlequin

notice the mouse eaten plans...they live in my workshop and even come out to see what I am up to occasionally.   

fabulous looking effort....the kit is an absolute **** and you are certainly making a silk purse out of a sows ear....

hi Bill...............its been that long since I did the quarter galley I cant really remember.....I did struggle a bit with it I think....more luck than skill on my part I think. I have also used corels gun ports...I just don't have the inclination to re-plank the hull....had to strip it once due to the wood fading as I had not worked on it for ages.....they look ok so I can live with them.

Bellona.......so far from above.

Gunports now completed on both sides now.......only the port side second planking to finish and various handrails and furniture to complete the hull. 

excellent Blue Ensign.....they don't stay sharp long but extremely useful.....not yet tried to restore the cutting edge on one yet but will try.

Just discovered Swann Morton produce chisel blades in their range....SM61, SM62, SM61SB, SM62SB.  The SB is a single bevel. approx. 3mm and 5mm respectively....tried these and they are superb for intricate work. You will need a few as with every scalpel blade but they are well worth it. 

gunports fitted....reasonably pleased with them....the others are open gunports and will need finishing off.

nothing to do with the Bellona build but just a bit of rigging.......corels Greyhound and HMS Victory side by side.

This will displease the purists but I don't have the time to take off or alter the planking and I think it would destroy the frames underneath so I have opted to use corels metal gunports not supplied with the kit......they come with corels hms victory and can be purchases separately but as things stand this is the only way Bellona is going to progress so love it or loath it I am taking this route. It is either that or Bellona stays unbuilt....onwards and upwards.....personally I don't think they look too bad.

notdone much for a while.....will post soon with a couple of pics.

hello everyone....been a while since I was last here.

poop deck bulwark timbers added...reasonably happy with the outcome.

bow timbers...... these are worse than ratlines.

Bow top rail and timbers.....why is it that when you offer a dry fitting and it fits perfectly...when you add glue it doesn't?....one of life's mysteries.

lately i have been using some aliphatic rapid wood glue......best glue i have used for ages,,,,i've used the standard stuff for years but this is a great discovery for me. Where have i been all these years?

Bow bulwark timbers being added.....such small bits have tested my patience today.

belay pin rack....I've added a brass rod to the bottom of each post for added security when attaching to the deck. And in position on the fordeck.

ships wheel and binnacle....the binnacle was painted with an oak paint and primer to cover the etched brass then the glass was obtained by using a soft HB pencil.

drilling planksheer for the handrail stanchions.

the camera doesn't pick all the mistakes up....compared with some of the builders on here my efforts pale.

Boat boom and then 3 added in position to the gangways.

gangways linking quarter and fore decks fitted.

I joke about the price in London.......send me your address and i'll post you a real English Ale....some of these breweries here have been producing beer for well over 200 years. Yes I miss flying the microlights....I was once at around only 500 ft when two RAF Tornado jets went underneath me, they didn't know I was there....that was cool....

frames in place and stained where required.....very flimsy thin plywood but will gain strength as I add the planks later.