G. Delacroix

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.

A quick progress update - spent some time with the scroll saw today and have cut out parts for frames 13 - 20:

Once assembled, I will have put together frames 13 - 37. These are the ones that were my first goal to complete. (Of course sanding / shaping will take a few hours to give them their final shape).
 
In the meantime the pile of frames continues to grow:

The next set of frames that I will work on will be 9 - 12 and 38 - 42. These 9 frames will have 2 piece floors of a certain type. The remaining 20 full frames (2 - 8 and 43 - 52) also have 2 piece floors, but of a different design.
 

 
 

Thank you guys for compliments. To mtbediz - This is a normal slotting cutter, with only a reduced diameter of the shank to be used in the Proxxon milling machine. (https://www.uni-max.cz/produkty/drevoobrabeni/stopkove-nastroje/drazkovaci-frezy/dvoubrite-kratke/drazkovaci-freza-2br-6-19-8-mm)
I continue with the second - bigger boat. Here I decided to make the frames from one piece only, because in the end the connection of the individual parts of the frames will be hidden under the floor and will not be visible.

I wish everyone a nice weekend.
It's time I send Le Rochefort on summer break, now it's on to La Palme. In the last few days I have made some preparations and measurements, different heights have been marked. In the following step the cannon ports and the whales were marked, for the whales I use black hornbeam which I ordered from Vahur in Estonia (visit the hobbymill.eu website if interested). I soaked the first two boards of the whales and put them in position to dry with clamps. The window in the rear was opened and the cross members inserted as this has to be done before attaching the whales as the window is almost flush with them. I'll keep you posted and wish you a nice weekend.
 





 

Hello,
 
I know "La Néréïde" very well because I had started a monograph on this ship a few years ago. 
Like all the ships of this period, the bow is wide because it has a reverse side, a feature designed to keep the waves away, to save space on the forecastle and especially to keep the catheads away from the side.
It must be said that the plans of this ship do not exist, especially the vertical sections. The only drawings we have are a longitudinal section, another vertical one in the middle and the drawing of the decorations.  JC Lemineur had to adapt the vertical sections of another ship to make his plans. 
 

You're right, druxey. But after gluing a few planks on the ribs, the whole structure is strengthened and there are no problems with it.
I finished the outer planking of the small boat. Now I will start on the frame of the larger boat.

The work will be repetitious for quite awhile, but I thought I would put a note here that progress is being made.
 
I feel that I am getting the hang of making these full frames. With the size boards that I had prepared I can make the rough frames in batches of 3. I cut out the templates in the evening, rubber cement them to the board, and then let them set to the morning. During the day, between working on house projects I find time to cut out the 36 pieces on the board and mill the 6 floor notches. Later I find time to square up the ends of the pieces with the table saw and glue up the 3 frames. After the three are between glass plates it's back to making the templates and preparing wood to cut the next day.
 
When I feel like taking a break from the frame assembly line, there will be plenty of finishing sanding opportunities to obtain the molded dimensions. 
 
So far the work is pleasant and going well and I expect that I will be ready for the more complicated frames when the time comes!


 

Hello,
 
I finally finished up work on all the oars. Quite the project.
 
Lashings attached on all oars

 

 
I made the oar handles out of 1 mm thick walnut and then sealed the wood with polyurethane.
 

 
Handles attached to the oars.

 

 
The oars are complete and set aside until the model can be mounted to the case.
 
Turning my attention to fabrication of the case base. I had to keep the base of the case as narrow as possible so that the finished case would fit on the piece of furniture we bought to place the model on. (Strict warnings from the admiral to not exceed the width of 24"!!)
So the model with the oars attached will finish up at about 20 inches wide. I added roughly 2 inches on each side for the plexiglass case and just made the 24 inch restriction. Because of this I kept the design simple. I would have liked to add some corner rounding radius and made the frame wider if I had the room.
 
Cross section of Cherry wood used for the base

 
Top side view of finished case. I will stain and seal the wood after I receive it back from the manufacturer of the plexiglass top.
The assembled base was sent to Altec Plastics in South Boston. I sent them the base so the plexiglass top could be fitted into the top slots without any miscommunication!
The 1/4 inch plywood in the middle is covered with self adhesive black felt and protected for now (while at Altec Plastics) with plastic.

 

 
Underside photo of completed base. I mistakenly took this photo before I attached thin metal L-Shaped brackets at each corner for extra support. So they are not shown.
The middle strips are for extra support down the middle to prevent any sagging over time and to help give the screws, used to attach the ships base, extra material to grip.

 
Steps Left to do:
1. Stain and seal the case base, when returned from Altec Plastics
2. Attach the ship base to the case base and place and permanently set the model
3. Add the oars and oar lashings
4. Assemble and add all the small flags next to the oars on both sides
5. Fix the ship's rudder and bow cannon that have been knocked around
6. Finalize decision on stern canopy
7. Lightly dust 
 
Thanks for stopping by and again thanks for looking in and for the likes.
Appreciated as always,
 
Frank
 
 

During the drying times, I am busy with preparations such as the fattening store, pump shaft and the loading area floor. Now that is the current status after 6 months of construction. The plan is that the floorboards will still be laid, then Le Rochefort will take a summer break and I will devote myself to La Palme again. Thank you for looking, see you soon.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning, frame #30 got some refinement on the spindle sander. It matches up nicely with the plans and will be labeled set aside in a safe place while the remaining frames are manufactured. In this picture you can get some idea of the cross-sectional dimensions that the model will have. This frame is nearly 7" ~ 18cm at its widest, and about 5" ~ 13cm high (not counting the 1 extra cm at the top of the frame). Here again I've followed the guidance of Frolich in extending the frames an additional 1cm so that shaping and the attachment of ribbands near the top will be more easily and precisely managed.
 

 

This evening I had time to 'try out' the sheets of pear. I have made good progress on frame #30 - I started here because there was little bevel to the frame. I will be working fore and aft starting with the flattest least complicated frames and moving toward the more difficult ones. I feel that they will go better once I get a good feel for the required part sizes and how the wood works as this is my first try with pear. 
 
Here's the process that I will be following for a good number of weeks (months?): 
 
Made copies of the frame, cut out templates for the 12 needed parts, and rubber cemented them to a sheet of wood.

Cut the parts out with a scroll saw and milled the juncture with the keel.

Glued up the pieces with white carpenter glue - here I'm basically following the instructions provided in 'The Art of Ship Modeling' by Bernard Frolich.

I've placed the glued up frame between to heavy sheets of glass. They will stay there for a good 12 hours. 

Once nice and dry, the frame will be sanded back close to the final molded shape.

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