G. Delacroix

Thank you Vladimir 👍
Hi Dave thanks for your nice comments.  I work to the dimensions on Gerards drawings as best I can - so if I measure a piece to be 5.8mm I try and make it that size rather than rounding up to 6mm.  I have found that I get very little cumulative error by doing this   BTW have a really great holiday you lucky fella 👍
 
Okay - the windlass 😍 what a lovely piece this is to make on this ship.  Although I've not strictly adhered to Gerards drawings as it should be slightly barrel shaped I have enjoyed making this.
 
So first of all I had a bit of play to work out the indexing on my rotary table which you can see standing on the mill slide.  Once sorted I shaped a hexagonal piece which was again made by gluing two bits together.  Its dimensions are just over 18mm wide it's quite a chuck of wood.

Looking at the drawings there is a 3 degree angle to be cut on the length of the windlass and also the pawl cut outs are set 12 degrees back from the hexagonal facets.


So I set the 3 degree angle and cut the taper and also rough cut the pawl locations.


Once that was done I revised the pawl cuts and milled them to their final size.  This is easy to do as long as you do not accidentally reset your mill dials.

Then I drilled out the holes for the windlass lever which are set a 90 degrees to each other and go all of the way through too.  I also cut the windlass bearings.
So now I've ended up with a piece looking like this - Now anyone that does machining knows that my biggest problem is turning the windlass around in the chuck.  I cannot grip on the tapered surface with the 4 jaw chuck.

So to solve this problem I made some tapered inserts that I glued on using PVA knowing that I can remove them later using IPA.

I then turned the windlass around in the chuck and repeated the same processes to the other end.


Now the chances of me hitting exactly the same angle with such a Heath Robinson solution was slim.  The windlass did not come out entirely symmetrical but it looks ok to me.  If I made it again I expect that I would get the same result so upwards and forwards.  
 
The next stage was to make the round holes square for the lever which I intend to make later.  I'm sorry but I forgot to take any pictures of this process - Its time consuming to get the square hole completely through but the end result is well worth it.
 
Finally there are 2 iron bands that fit around each end of the windlass.  These are hard to make and get a correct fit being hexagonal  - my advice is just keep at it until you get it right.  Due to my taper/angle discrepancy the ends of my windlass differ by 1mm so each one had to be custom made.

So here's the final result all cleaned up with blackened iron bands - I've never used brass black before but its very easy to use and the results are lovely.



So next I need to make the windlass supports - Thanks everyone for the likes and support with my build
 
Mark
 

More done this time it's the forecastle deck waterways.  As with the main deck these are tricky to make and get a good fit.
 
Here I'm just pretty much roughing out the shape to get a good fit on the hull and beams.  I learn't from last time to leave loads of extra material on until the final shaping.
 


This is what the final piece looks like - It varies in thickness, angle and profile.  I haven't put any of the making pictures up as its a replica of the process that I followed before.



Just dry clamped in place to check that all is ok.



It's all still a bit scruffy and needs cleaning up and pencil marks removed but on the whole they fit nicely and now I know that everything lines up.
 
So I can now put these parts away until later as I want to make the windlass, stove and office that sit between these decks.  Once they are made and installed I'll finally fit all of these pieces too.
 
Mark

It should take no more than week or two until I get bulkheads. Im thrilled waiting. 
I little continued on stern...first making planking grove and transom planks.. next massive ornamental piece that attaches to the skeleton. 
im not good at scraping but i tried to make- modify  pattern out of comercial one to mimic prototype....photos to say more. 
transom will be black but i  intend to leave ornamentals natural boxwood so far. I  should cover it at this stage not to smudge it much. thanks. 
 
 
 
 

More done on the beams to get them just about completed.
 
Firstly I made the deck shelves (this ship doesn't have knees under the ends of the beams) and also cut the dovetails in the clamps and beams.  I actually got a nice fit this time on these parts.
 


There were also a few more notches that needed to be cut into the beams and also a slanted hatch for above the kitchen stove.  I couldn't quite see the details for the carlings in the drawings so I made them like the other hatches on the ship.  This is pretty much a 50/50 notch into the beam and a similar one into the carling.  The hatch sits at an angle of 74 degrees as best that I could measure it.

The beams in place and also at the correct overall height.  They sit flush with the highest breast hook for the planking to run over.



So next I'm going to make the waterway for this deck.  Its thickness and angles vary quite a lot so should be quite a challenge.  I also want to make some detailed parts rather than just structural ones.  So to shake my build up a bit I've decided to pretty much finish this end of the ship.  I'll be making the stove, office and windlass along with several hatches.  I just think it will be nice to add some details before getting on with the planking on the starboard side.
 
Mark

Some more done on these two parts.  I made the final pieces and drilled all of the required holes into them both.  The hawse holes are drilled at about 20 degrees.


Unfortunately I drilled the nail holes around the hawse hole at 90 degrees or if you like straight in.  So in these pictures they look correct but after milling the top to its final thickness it moved them off centre - Oh well these things happen.
 
So I fitted them onto the ship and also finished the scuppers for the manger.  I also thought it best that I protect the ship a bit at this stage so I gave the planking a light coat of shellac sanding sealer.



My next job is going to be making the beams for the forecastle deck.  I need to do this as I think my alignment of the bowsprit is slightly off.  Making the beams above the bowsprit partners will help me to see this.
 
Mark

Hello,
It is probably a printing problem because the "exploded" part is drawn from the "assembled" part, there is no difference in the AutoCad file (I just checked).
It is possible that the printing method has deformed the print although it comes from a pdf file dimensionally reliable.
Sorry for this inconvenience that I hope is unique.
Gérard Delacroix

Thanks Tobias but I can assure you that this build is far from perfect mate.  I'm constantly having to make allowances for earlier errors but I guess thats ship building for you.
 
The scuppers - The technique that druxey suggested to me works great for finding the line through the hull.  On this scale though it's a long way through the hull to make each side meet.  I guess you just have to be brave and get cracking with a chisel.  So first of all I cut the holes through as best that I could - I did pick up a little damage but nothing really to worry about.  I've also learnt that these small errors disappear in the long run as you simply stop seeing them.
 

Next I made a rectangular tube out of pewter - easy to make and difficult to fit through the hull - it just takes time.

Then I roughed the tube to the correct dimensions but left some on to sand down later.  Its worth noting that that the tube dimensions are slightly different from the outside to the inside.

Following on from my previous bad experience using cyano I glued these in using 20 minute epoxy resin.  I really like this glue - it gives loads of time to jiggle things around and cleans up easily with IPA.

Next was to make the end plates on the inside and outside.




So thats one side complete and now onto the starboard side - which I still haven't finished nailing yet!
 
Cheers Mark

Took me week to work the skeleton. 
though I will have to figure out how to drill cannon holes at later stage. maybe i will do it at this point sometime. Thanks for looking in. Im glad this extremely difficult part is behind me. windows sills inserted and polished..
 

Good day fellow scratchbuilders. 
 
Bulkheads are in making so im excited.
I decided not to waste time and made stern structural backbone. ride is on.
 

The curvature of the rail is very elegant, well done!
 
GD

The curvature of the rail is very elegant, well done!
 
GD

The curvature of the rail is very elegant, well done!
 
GD

The curvature of the rail is very elegant, well done!
 
GD

The curvature of the rail is very elegant, well done!
 
GD

Another update
 
I bottled it and decided not to put scarf joints into the moulded rail so I'm using simple butt joints instead.  I wanted the rail to look as best it could with all of the details lining up.  So I marked out the position both sides - I like to use automotive lining tape to see the run and I leave it on until the glue has dried.


I then bent and glued the rails on which needed quite a lot of heat to get a tight fit around the bow.  I have got a very tiny crack in it on the starboard side but I think it will be ok.



I really wanted to get a good joint into the rabit with this plank - I think it came out ok


So next I am going to make and fit the planking in between the whale and moulded rail.
 
Mark

Hello,
 
The monograph of "L'Invention" has only been published for 6 months, there is still no model to my knowledge.
The prototype models which are detailed in photos in my monographs are of course finished after publication. But, for "L'Invention" and "L'Egyptienne", there is no prototype model. The model by Greg will therefore be the first whose construction will be published.
For "L'Egyptienne", there are several models under construction by members of my forum, including this one made with great talent:
https://5500.forumactif.org/t3726-l-egyptienne-au-1-48-mes-debuts-en-arsenal
 
GD

I thought that I would post a note indicating that I have not abandoned this project! 
 
Through the summer, I had been involved in a great deal of work on our house - it turns out that a lot of projects needed to be done after living here for 20+ years that you don't notice as much when you are working. As the weather gets cooler, there are fewer big outdoor projects to tackle and the number of indoor projects has been shrinking dramatically.
 
I will also note that I am about to start yet another modeling project - a quick diversion - the new Model Airways kit of Santos Dumant 14 bis. 
 
But  most importantly, I will be back to work on L'Invention very soon.

Hello,
 
The monograph of "L'Invention" has only been published for 6 months, there is still no model to my knowledge.
The prototype models which are detailed in photos in my monographs are of course finished after publication. But, for "L'Invention" and "L'Egyptienne", there is no prototype model. The model by Greg will therefore be the first whose construction will be published.
For "L'Egyptienne", there are several models under construction by members of my forum, including this one made with great talent:
https://5500.forumactif.org/t3726-l-egyptienne-au-1-48-mes-debuts-en-arsenal
 
GD

Hi All
 
Time is not a friend of mine at the moment but I have been watching others build projects (enviously 😆).  I have got some done hence the update and thanks to everyone that took the time to give advice and the very lovely comments.
 
The first thing was to fit two more plank strakes on the bulwarks and then pierce the holes for the scuppers and hawse holes.  Nothing really tricky about this you just have to be careful cutting the holes so that you don't tear the wood too much.





Next was to make and fit the deck clamps for the smaller aft and forward decks.  Learning from my previous attempt at placing clamps I really took my time marking these out with a digital height gauge.  I think this took me about 4 hours to get right until I was absolutely happy with their placing.  I also used a technique that @Tobias uses with tiny spirit levels athwartship.  These things are so cheap and yet they allowed me to checked my levels even further.  I used quite a lot of clamps to make sure that my efforts stayed where they were.  Cheers Tobias  


 
Next was to plank the gap between the already fitted planking and the clamp.  All I would say about this is if you measure and plan it accurately it's a fairly straightforward job.  I can imagine it being a nightmare if you don't.  The clamps are slightly thicker than the planks and just need tapering into the planks below. I've put a photo below to show what I mean.






Note to self - use a lower resolution camera as these photo's show everything
 
Ok so as always - what did I do wrong?  Well I cut the planking too short  - Its not a problem but I forgot to allow for the scroll to the gunwale.
 
This is how I cut it.

And this is what I missed

Its not a problem as I will fix this later on when I plank the outside but for fellow builders this could save you from doing the same.
 
I'll get some more done as and when I can - I think I need to be retired so that I can enjoy my hobby more!!
 
Cheers all - Mark
 
 
 
 

Hello,
 
I am pleased to inform you that the first part of the English translation of L'Egyptienne is available. (Translation by Tony Klouda)
This translation concerns the first 180 pages. The rest that describes the rigging will be available in a few weeks.
 
Gérard Delacroix
 
 

Once again, thanks to everyone for the positive responses. The last two photos remain to be posted. This week I participated in the Class C World Championship (NAVIGA organization) where I received a gold medal for the Le Gros Venter model. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Gerard Delacrox for his technical support during the construction. My next model will again be according to Mr. Delacroix's plans - L'Amarante.
marsalv

The construction came to an end after approx. 4600 hours. All that remains is to post a few last photos and thank all the followers for watching and commenting on the progress of the model construction. Thank you.

Just a quick update - I've now rough finished and loose fitted one of the parts.
 
I cut the dove tails on the mill and they needed just a little adjustment to fit onto the beams
 

I also roughed out the inner bevel partly to make the piece slightly more flexible to fit the curve of the deck.  It actually fits ok and pretty much just clicks into place but it will fit a lot better once clamped and glued.  It will require a little blending into the adjoining pieces.
 


The bevel will get its final shape once the inner waterway is made and fitted and also the bulwark plank above.  So far so good -  and it's nice to be moving forward again.  I'm starting to feel a lot more positive regarding these parts.  I'll update again once the rest are completed
 
Cheers Mark

Here the final 5 Type B frames are drying between glass plates. So all 34 of the type A and B frames are now assembled.

Now I can decide between preparing more 4mm thick material and assembling the Type C frames or spending some time standing at the spindle sander and finish sanding what is already assembled. This evening I'm thinking the spindle sander might be a nice change of pace!

All 25 of the 'Type A' full frames are assembled now.
 
I have turned my attention to roughing up the 'Type B' full frames with their two-piece floors. I'm finishing assembling frames 9 - 12 this evening. When done I will have half of the frames assembled.
 
I decided to cut some wood so it wood have a 'V' shape when glued together. The templates for the larger floor pieces were then lined up and cemented over the joint. I felt this would be easier than cutting the 2 halves of the floors and then joining them. Similarly, wood was prepared with a horizontal joint for the smaller floor pieces.
 
 
Here's what the backside of the pieces for frame 10 looked like after cutting them out
 

The joint on the larger piece is clearly visible; but that on the smaller is hard to find as the grain is so fine and straight. Perhaps the horizontal joint will show up better after a finish is applied and there is a chance for the finish to seep into the seam. If not, I still know the joint was made! Five more to go and then onto 'Type C' frames. There are then 10 additional frames to arrive at the required total of 59 frames for this ship.