scratch

Thank you again George, Caroline and Nils. There wasn't any need to tumble the cleats Nils, they turned out very good after I rounded the edges a bit with a file. Here's a pic of them fitted to the foremast shrouds :
 

 
I see that I've bent one of the rail stanchions a bit - I'll straigten them all when the model is complete as they get a bit of a knock every now and then.
 
  Danny

Hello, Mark;
 
I'd suggest getting a good copy of the original ship's plans (G. Campbell is what I refer to;  not "original" but he did the restoration plans in the 1950's)
 
When you get the correct angle of the masts, you will still need the correct angle of the shrouds with respect to the mast angles, and this translates to the shape and angles of the chainplates.  Campbell's plans show this quite well.
 
Most of the kits on the market today are inaccurate, (IMHO) so I would take some time to research the actual ship and develop your own path, make adjustments, and make the CS your own.
 
A little bit of thought that keeps me going:
 
A slightly inaccurate kit that is finished in a display case has much more worth than an highly accurate uncompleted ship on a shelf...
 
But, I don't make ships for a living; so don't sweat the details!  (Unless you do make model ships for a living)
 
Cheers, and all the best..
 
~Bob

Mizzen Topmast Stay
 
First thing to make for the stay was the mouse. I turned it on my lathe the same as the previous ones for the lower stays :
 

 
The stay fits around the mizzen topmast in a similar fashion to the lower stay :
 

 
A lead block is served and stropped to the main mast head :
 

 
The lower end of the stay has a block seized to it. Another block is attached to an eyebolt adjacent to the foot of the mast via a pendant. A lanyard joins the two blocks :
 

 

 
  Danny

Hello and thanks marsalv for warm words!
 
not much to show, only a little update: have worked on chain pump handles, so there the result. The images show main steps from alignment to installing. The axle is from 1mm brass rod, the crank handles from 0,8mm rod, all soldered together.
 

 

 

 

 
Alex

Thank-you everyone for all the comments! 
 
Well, an update is long overdue - I almost feel I should introduce myself again!   
 
I struggled in the summer with which route to take for my cannons. I tried making molds and casting with resin with only limited success. The summer flew by and winter appeared and casting became a problem due to mess and allergies, or at least some reaction to the fumes. Ideally working outside is the best option, but at -20 degrees Celsius, it's not an option!
 
I had seen some paper cannons that Doris made and I thought I would give that a try. It would be easier if my scale was larger, but I don't find it too difficult. I know they are not perfect, but I am relatively pleased with the outcome and will continue with this process.
 
I am currently experimenting with weathering the cannons, so the painted one is not necessarily what the finished product will look like. 
 

 

 

 

Thanks all.
 
David B, well the thing is I'm building Admiralty style so as I'm not adding any more planking it looks like the straps are underneath the planking. But if you  look closer you can see small shims I used to compensate for the lack of planking on the lower two gudgeons.
 

 
Remco

OK, Druxey, here is my step by step.
 
I am no artist and the results will probably reflect that but so far the results don't look too bad.  I made the first trial section of frieze only to discover that I painted it upside down and without enough background aft to run out to the hance of the forecastle.  So I used this "opportunity" to document a step by step method for painting the friezes.  For my technique I used the instructions given in Vol II of TFFM.  I also had the pleasure of sitting in on a demonstration of frieze painting by David Antscherl at the most recent NRG national meeting.  
 
The first step is to have a background of the correct color.  I chose a blue background although there is a contemporary model of Atalanta in the NMM holdings that has a red background. The next step I found to be the most difficult.  David says to moisten bond paper (aka printer paper), stretch it gently, tape it to a flat surface and allow it to dry.  Then the background is painted.  The prestretching is supposed to prevent the paper from wrinkling when the acrylic paint is applied.  Well...  I tried three different types of paper, different moisture levels, different tape and weighting the paper under a sheet of glass.  I occasionally ended up with a strip of paper that looked passable.  After that I painted the paper with artist acrylics and ended up with wrinkled paper!  I could not find any blue archival markers.  Ink would cause the same problem.  Regular blue marker would bleed when I apply my solvent based finish.  I seriously thought about printing a sheet of blue paper but was concerned about the lifespan of inkjet pigments.  My solution was to use enamel spray paint without prestretching.  Three coats with a quick sanding of 600 grit between coats gave me good depth of color while smoothing out any imperfections in the paper.  It is still flexible and accepted acrylic paints well.
 

 
Although there is no freize shown on Atalanta's plans, there is one for Fly.  I used these for my design.  I traced the design on to regular bond paper.
 

 

 
The plan shows the starboard side but I am putting the frieze on the port side.  So I turned the paper around and traced the sketch on to the back of the paper, giving me a mirror image.  The drawing was placed on the painted paper and transfer paper was used to transfer the outline.  Transfer paper is found at any craft store and is used for stenciling and applying patterns onto cloth.  It comes in several colors.  White is best for this application.
 

 

 
The images were painted with two coats of ochre.  All the paints used were Liquitex artist acrylic.  
 

 
The highlights were applied with a mixture of ochre and white.  
 
 
 
The lowlights were applied with a mixture of ochre and burnt sienna.  Finally details such as the stems and leaf veins were added with a mixture of burnt sienna and burnt umber.
 

 
I used a pencil eraser to remove any white lines and powder from the transfer paper.
 

 
At these extreme magnifications, the detail work is a little heavy.  At normal viewing it looks much better; definitely better than I thought I could do.  

Hi Jack,
 
Good to have with us at last mate, you've made a good start on the jig. Just take it easy and ease yourself back into it.
 
I've not made any mistakes at all mate ( don't listen to Grant ), all my extra's are test pieces and I decided early on that I was going to put some wood into my scrap box, (eerrr test box).  
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie

Hey Jack,
 
Delighted to see you up and running. Good news that your health has improved enough to make a start. I'm not too far ahead of you now, and as I've made all the mistakes so far, you should be good to go! (Okay, not ALL the mistakes...........Mobbsie made a few too! )

So some more framing has been installed, 7 frames left.
 
Ben

Here comes the fun.  I have been laying low for a couple of months due to some health problems.  Yesterday was my first day back in the shipyard and today was the first with actual sawdust production.  It is nice to be back.
 
This build will be part of the group build of the Bomb Vessel Granado, 1742, Cross Sectional Model drawn by Jeff Staudt.  The plans at 1:48 scale fit on 8.5x11 or A4 which is very convenient.  
 
I bound a couple of sets of drawings so that can spread them out wherever needed.  I also scanned them so that I can print whatever I need on adhesive paper to stick to the wood for cutting.
 

 
I had been looking for a project to cross over to the dark side and when gjdale and mobbsie announced their group build I invited myself in and they graciously allowed me a space.  Asat has joined in as well at 1:38 scale.  The benefit of the group build is the multiple member PM system and the readily available logs.  I scratched most of the Oseberg and by the time that I finished I wished that I had done it all.
 
The wood was purchased from Jeff Hayes from Grant's brilliant take off and material list.  Jeff had stopped supplying ebony by the time I placed my order but I found some locally (Dallas/Fort Worth).  If it is too difficult to work I can always use Swiss Pear and color it black.
 
This is a part of the wood supplied by Jeff, it is beautiful, we will miss him.
 

 
The layout for the building jig is part of the plans and and I built mine as Grant and mobbsie built theirs.
 

 
I am happy to be building again.  I will finish up the jig and start the keel.
 
 

Its a couple of weeks later and there is good news and bad.
Good - I liked the way the frames turned out.
Bad - The frames ran past the end of the keel segment.
Lesson learned - Dry fit wherever possible.  Just because the parts measure up, doesn't guarantee the whole will fit.
 
I could take it apart and reuse the pieces, or just add a small piece of keel, but decided to start over.  I think I would do a better job and wanted to try it in boxwood and pear which I have not used before.
I received some rough planks and will use the Byrnes saw and Thickness Planer to mill them to size.  It went pretty well with the basswood and I would like to see the difference in working boxwood and pear.  I like the idea of being able to mill my own materials.  It provides a great deal of flexibility and creates more of a scratch built feeling. 
 
Anyway, attached are the pictures
 
the final basswood plank after milling from larger piece. This is different from the ones posted above as I used the planks milled from the rough cut basswood for the last few frames.

 
This is the set up for cutting. Thanks to MTaylor for hint about using low tack tape on the wood then gluing template. It worked like a charm with the the templates peeling off the cut pieces without a hitch.

 
After cutting and creating all frames began build:

 
Received these Excel clamps (in blue.)  They helped a lot.

 
and so it ended up looking pretty good:

 
Oops:

As you can see, the final frame ran past the end of the keel.
 
I learned much and will see if I can apply it by starting over, this time with boxwood and pear.
 
Richard 

Thanks all for helping me to sort this out. 
 
Jan, 0,5 mm copper rod scored with a sharp blade made the screw head.
 
Sorry Grant, no way I can make working screws on this scale
 
So that said, the gudgeons are made, again from brass strip and bar silver soldered together and formed to follow the hull curvature. I'll probably use some castello shims to compensate for the missing hull planking. Some adjustments are still needed before I can bolt the gudgeons permanently to the hull. Somehow gudgeon #5 ended up under the transom planking
 
 

 

 
Remco

Absolutely skilled crafting Grant . She looks the bees knees.
 
 
David

Thanks very much Bob, Mark, Sjors, Dave, Jeff and Aldo, and also to all of the "likes".  It's been a while since my last post, but only because I was doing more testing, thinking, testing, thinking............
 
Completing the Double Frames
 
Okay, so I decided that I wasn’t entirely happy with my scarph joints, and also that I was over-thinking the Chocks.  Time to revisit methodologies (again).
 
I decided to try Mobbsie’s method of creating the scarph joints, by using a file and the top edge of a vice as a reference plane/stop.  Only problem was, I first had to go out and buy a new vice with a flat top surface on the jaws. The method is really simple.  Having cut roughly to shape on the scroll saw, simply line up the template pattern line with the top of the vice jaws and and file until you feel metal instead of wood.
 

 
Some of the frames require cutouts for gunports/sweeps etc, and these are cut into the frames prior to assembly.  To achieve this, I used a neat razor saw to make some initial cuts before removing the waste with a chisel, and then finishing using the file/vice method.
 

 

 
Time to re-think the Chocks, again……..
 
Here’s the latest method, and this really seems to work well.  First up, getting a good, neat butt join between adjacent futtocks is essential, along with scarph joints that meet evenly at the butt join.  This is achieved using the file/vice method and test fitting, filing, test fitting until satisfied. Once happy with the butt/scarph joints, I used double sided tape to hold the lower central futtock in place over the pattern, placed more double sided tape over the locations for the remaining futtocks, and then placed some glue on the mating face of the next futtock before placing it in position hard up against the first futtock, where it is held in place by the double sided tape until the glue dries.  This process is repeated with the remaining futtocks until the frame (minus chocks) is complete.
 

 
The chocks were then made by cutting a piece of stock to roughly the width of the chock space and then finessing with the Disc Sander until a neat fit in to the chock opening was achieved.  Note the “handles” on the inboard side of the chocks.
 

 
The chock ends were then shaped on the Disc Sander until a neat fit was obtained, at which point the chocks were glued in place.  Because of the neat fit, and the frames being held in place on the tape, no clamps were required. This had been problematic previously as clamps tended to throw everything out of alignment as they were tightened.  Once the glue had dried, the frames were removed from the templates, the chock “handles” trimmed close on the scroll saw, and then finished off on the spindle sander.  Here’s what a completed frame looks like, with almost invisible joints….
 

 
Once the method was worked out, completing the remaining double frames went very smoothly.  All five double frame pairs have now been completed.  Here are a few progress shots:
 

 

 

 
That's it for now.  Off to Sydney to visit family for a couple of days and then it's on with the single frames, which should be relatively easy (famous last words)......

Thanks very much John, Aldo and Richard. Good to see you back on the site Aldo .
 
Shroud Cleats
 
There are about two dozen Shroud Cleats needed as far as I can tell, so I've made them as a bit of a break from tying ratlines.
 
Instead of making them one at a time I've used the method learned from others to mass produce them. First I cut 26 pieces (a couple of spares) from 2.8 x 1.32mm stock at 7mm lengths. These were then glued together with PVA and allowed to dry. A bit of disc sanding got them evened up after this pic was taken :
 

 
Next I cut a slot in each long end, and a shallower one for the centre lashing on the table saw :
 

 
Then I clamped the whole section in my vise and did some final shaping with a needle file :
 

 
Finally the section was dropped into a jar of Isopropyl Alcohol to dissolve the PVA. A little bit of rounding up will be done, and I'll stain the cleats a darker brown so they don't "jump" at you :
 

 
  Danny

First bit of planking is done with Swiss Pear.   Just the counter so far.  I've hung the stern post and rudder blank for position and to make sure I made the hole right.
 
There will be a bit of ebony trim over the exposed yellowheart after the rest of the planking goes one.  And "above" the counter and below the lights I'll be putting in the shaped trim strip after the rest of the stern has been planked.
 
All in all, I'm pretty pleased.

Well, dear friends, I have finished tops on the masts ( made of card and wood) and now I am going to continue with rigging on Royal Caroline. I have unfortunately less free time for hobbies ( because I have a new and very responsible job as a sales director in a company selling cosmetics), but I would like to continue and make models for relaxation.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for dropping in again, and your kind comments John, Nils, Allan, Richard, Maury and Frank.
 
 
Richard, I'm not using a "professional" setup. I use a pencil torch from Bernzomatic, which uses butane. The solder paste is a medium melting point from Fusion.
 
 
Maury, I cut the plates to length after soldering and before drilling the holes.
 
Ratlines
 
Time for the "fun" job of tying the lower ratlines. I printed out a spacing template using AutoCAD and taped it behind the shrouds :
 

 

 
The lowest 6 and uppermost 6 ratlines don't tie off to the outer shrouds. There is some minor adjusting to be done which I'll do when they are all completed.
 
  Danny

Thank's jansmiss
 
Another photo's 
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 
 
Alberto

Thank you Alistair
 
Red is a very transparent color to paint with.   If you use thin coats it will be somewhat transparent.  I have many more coats and more sanding to get it where I want but it will most likely have some transparency.
 
I found some workshop time....so I finished planking the starboard side.  Its a big milestone but then I look at the port side and have to repeat the entire process, including the square tuck   But it all worked out very well.   Once the other side is finished I can start treenailing.  
 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Revised Chock Making Method

 

I wasn’t entirely happy with the chocks in my test frame and decided to try a couple of different methods.  In the end, this is what I did.  I first marked up some “construction lines” on the frame template, and then cut a cardboard template strip (from a manila folder) to suit the width of each of the chock sizes:

 



 

Then I held the frame sections in place over the template and traced around the inside of the scarf joint to mark the chock shape onto the template. The shape was then transferred to the chock “stock” and finessed to shape on the Byrnes Disc Sander:

 



 

This worked reasonably successfully, so will continue with this method for the remaining frames.  Here’s a shot of the finally finished frame D1/D2, complete with blackened bolts, in position in the jig. Now to make a few more……..

 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 101 – Planking and Wales
 
To conveniently work on the planking below the channels, the hull was inverted as shown in the first picture
 

 
The toptimbers are no longer as vulnerable with the planking installed up to the top so there is minimal risk of damage.  I still use carpet padding as a precaution and have tied the hull down to keep from pushing it off the bench.
 
The next picture shows some of the planking installed at the bow.
 

 
The hull is marked with pencil lines to show the extent of the wale and the load waterline.  I have highlighted the lower edge of the wale in red and the lwl in blue.
 
The wale is 6” thick and there are roughly 20 strakes of 6” wide planks from top to bottom.  The top strake transitions from the 4” common  to the 6” wale planking two strakes below the lower channels.  That break in thickness can be seen in these pictures.  The next picture is a close-up of the “hooding ends.”
 

 
The wale planks are pared down to match the depth of the rabbet.  The treenails are hard bamboo (old garden stakes) – very hard and very dark.  The grain flecks and the color variation in the maple planks is a bit distracting, but all of this planking will be painted.
 
The planking around the stern was done concurrently with that shown above. In the next picture the second strake below the planksheer rail has been curved and is clamped to dry.
 

 
Each of these is boiled for over an hour, clamped as shown below and left overnight to dry.  It can then be glued with a similar clamping arrangement.  This is really a one-step-per-day process.
 
The last picture shows the three strakes below the rail – levelled off but not yet finish sanded.
 

 
 
The next strake will be the transition strake to the wale thickness.  There may be one more circumferential strake  - at the "knuckle" - but the planks below will butt into the last of these.  The ends of the the planks below will bolt into the supporting chocks between the stern timbers.  The chock around the helm port has not yet been fitted.
 
Space is left for the main rail.   The area between this and the lower rail will be decorated with a bas-relief eagle and some s-curved vines.  The words “Young America” then “New York” will be lettered below the lower rail on these lower three planks..
 
  
Ed

Little bit more pictures.

It's pretty busy under the mast tops now :
 

 
  Danny