Captain Al

Unbelievably beautiful detail work Boyd. This sets the bar mighty high for all us builders. That little
lathe of yours got some duty. But the planning and craftsmanship are truly brilliant.

One more thing on tapering -- this is where the drop planks come in -- you will undoubtedly find that at some point you just can't get the number of planks you want in to fill up a section because you really don't want to taper down to more than half the width of the plank (in our case we have 5mm planks so you'll want to only taper to about 2.5mm give or take a bit).  So you may find for example that you have six planks running into a section that is only 13 mm wide.  You'd have to taper to 2.167 mm to fit them all in.  Instead, you use a drop plank and go to 5 planks to fill the 13mm.  Now you can taper each to 2.6.  If only it worked so easily in practice as it sounds on paper.

I should have figured that it was detail and more detail that's kept you busy.  I can't wait to see the work; particularly the features that I'm sure you've added to the kit's.  I hear what you're saying about spending more time in the planning than in the doing.  That was particularly true of me with the planking where every strake was a calculated design. 

I should have figured that it was detail and more detail that's kept you busy.  I can't wait to see the work; particularly the features that I'm sure you've added to the kit's.  I hear what you're saying about spending more time in the planning than in the doing.  That was particularly true of me with the planking where every strake was a calculated design. 

Thanks Mike. And your encouragement has helped a ton.

Well I don't know if you could say I'm moving forward with the rigging or just kind of planning for it.  Most of my time the last 2 weeks have been in putting blocks on the deck and hull and experimenting with ways to make my chainplates and deadeyes.  The pre-planning has been extremely useful.  All the above suggestions and comments have given me the confidence start the process.  But first I will build and mount the bowsprit, mount all the half pound guns and the anchors, and build and mount the launch.  I already have built the jolly boat so I've really got a head start - ha ha ha.  After that I suppose you have to build and put up the masts before any real rigging is done.
 
Just so this log isn't too boring with questions and samples, here's a few pictures of my 90% completed deck.  I only have the blocks around the foremast to do.  Down below I'll stick in some ballast, hammocks, bales and whatever else comes to mind and will fit.  I love the detail work you've been doing Boyd.  Its inspiring.

Morning Boyd,
 
I thought I'd jump into the breadfruit discussion...as you've seen on my log, I left the pots empty.  I wish I hadn't but I was really in the midst of much larger problems to solve at that point.  And my rationalization for my laziness I still think is somewhat solid:  my Bounty model shows the ship on its outbound journey, prior to landing in Tahiti and obtaining the fruit plants.  Can anyone argue with that?

Morning Boyd,
 
I thought I'd jump into the breadfruit discussion...as you've seen on my log, I left the pots empty.  I wish I hadn't but I was really in the midst of much larger problems to solve at that point.  And my rationalization for my laziness I still think is somewhat solid:  my Bounty model shows the ship on its outbound journey, prior to landing in Tahiti and obtaining the fruit plants.  Can anyone argue with that?

Morning Boyd,
 
I thought I'd jump into the breadfruit discussion...as you've seen on my log, I left the pots empty.  I wish I hadn't but I was really in the midst of much larger problems to solve at that point.  And my rationalization for my laziness I still think is somewhat solid:  my Bounty model shows the ship on its outbound journey, prior to landing in Tahiti and obtaining the fruit plants.  Can anyone argue with that?

Shame on you for using plastic furniture!  Just kidding.  Magnificent work all around.  You are taking an already detailed kit and making it into a museum piece.  I really wish I'd watched your build before starting mine; so many great ideas and your execution is great.  I'm very impressed as to how you aligned your top deck.  Harking back to mine so many months ago I recall the difficulty and frustrations in this particular step.  I don't think you need much advice from me, but here's a tidbit I'll throw your way from my experience -- you will later be placing stanchions and Samson posts in the little rebate holes along the edge of the deck.  Before you put the deck down permanently, make sure the holes are big enough to accommodate the 3x5mm stanchions and 5x5 mm Samson posts.  Mine were not and it was a real chore to enlarge them.  It would have been simple if I'd checked this before gluing down the deck.
 
Keep on posting Boyd -- it won't be long til you've caught up with me.  But then again, you have the planking coming up soon.

Well I don't know if you could say I'm moving forward with the rigging or just kind of planning for it.  Most of my time the last 2 weeks have been in putting blocks on the deck and hull and experimenting with ways to make my chainplates and deadeyes.  The pre-planning has been extremely useful.  All the above suggestions and comments have given me the confidence start the process.  But first I will build and mount the bowsprit, mount all the half pound guns and the anchors, and build and mount the launch.  I already have built the jolly boat so I've really got a head start - ha ha ha.  After that I suppose you have to build and put up the masts before any real rigging is done.
 
Just so this log isn't too boring with questions and samples, here's a few pictures of my 90% completed deck.  I only have the blocks around the foremast to do.  Down below I'll stick in some ballast, hammocks, bales and whatever else comes to mind and will fit.  I love the detail work you've been doing Boyd.  Its inspiring.

Shame on you for using plastic furniture!  Just kidding.  Magnificent work all around.  You are taking an already detailed kit and making it into a museum piece.  I really wish I'd watched your build before starting mine; so many great ideas and your execution is great.  I'm very impressed as to how you aligned your top deck.  Harking back to mine so many months ago I recall the difficulty and frustrations in this particular step.  I don't think you need much advice from me, but here's a tidbit I'll throw your way from my experience -- you will later be placing stanchions and Samson posts in the little rebate holes along the edge of the deck.  Before you put the deck down permanently, make sure the holes are big enough to accommodate the 3x5mm stanchions and 5x5 mm Samson posts.  Mine were not and it was a real chore to enlarge them.  It would have been simple if I'd checked this before gluing down the deck.
 
Keep on posting Boyd -- it won't be long til you've caught up with me.  But then again, you have the planking coming up soon.

Keith, no paint is planned.  Except of course for such things as barrels and other little tidbits.  I have spruced up the transom's decorations a bit with black paint.  That was for no other reason but to contrast a bit with the brass filigree stuff.
 
I do appreciate both your kind words.  It gives me encouragement to keep it up.  I've gotten away from describing all the pitfalls I run into and how I have worked around them.  My earliest posts were like a primer on how not to build a model.  Now when I run into difficulties I think its more from lack of foresight or plain inexperience.  The one thing I can't reconcile myself to is that so often the plans or instructions are just wrong.  I'm getting better at recognizing that and trusting in my own concepts and measurements. Having sailed my own boat for years I understand some things about how ships are put together and how things need to work, but that's a far cry from understanding an 18th century square rigger.

Well I don't know if you could say I'm moving forward with the rigging or just kind of planning for it.  Most of my time the last 2 weeks have been in putting blocks on the deck and hull and experimenting with ways to make my chainplates and deadeyes.  The pre-planning has been extremely useful.  All the above suggestions and comments have given me the confidence start the process.  But first I will build and mount the bowsprit, mount all the half pound guns and the anchors, and build and mount the launch.  I already have built the jolly boat so I've really got a head start - ha ha ha.  After that I suppose you have to build and put up the masts before any real rigging is done.
 
Just so this log isn't too boring with questions and samples, here's a few pictures of my 90% completed deck.  I only have the blocks around the foremast to do.  Down below I'll stick in some ballast, hammocks, bales and whatever else comes to mind and will fit.  I love the detail work you've been doing Boyd.  Its inspiring.

Of course I should have added that I take Mike's characterization as a compliment.

Boyd, you might want to pick up on this bit of methodology.... the hardest part for me in putting all those double blocks around the mast was being precise with where I would drill a pilot hole.  On one of them 13 holes needed to be put around the mast hole.  Being an anorak (see Mike Dowlings comments if you don't know that term) I thought the holes should be exactly spaced and in the same location as the plans showed.  And I knew I could not duplicate that visually and my pin vise tends to slip a little before digging into the already varnished deck.  So what I did was:  traced the plans onto a bit of tracing paper; making dots where the holes had to be.  Then I transferred that to another little bit of heavier construction paper, poking holes into the construction paper where the dots were, and punching a larger hole in the center which would be the mast hole.  Then, making sure I had the "template" oriented fore and aft correctly (cause the holes are not laid out symmetrically or evenly around the hole), I laid it over the mast hole and taped it to the deck.  So then I was able to put the drill bit into the little holes I'd poked and drill down into the deck.  Worked very well to get good spacing.  Still it was a tricky maneuver to insert the pins and hook the block's beckets into the eyes and close them up.  I chose to use brass eyebolts on the blocks rather than tie beckets with tread cause I know I couldn't tie 10 knots in that close quarters.  In looking at other builds and how blocks are attached to eyes, I know that this method is not authentic and is kind of the lazy man's way, but I'm just not good enough or don't have the right tools to get those knots correct.  As I build the masts and yards I hope I can do less of the brass eyes and more thread stropping of the blocks with beckets.

Keith, no paint is planned.  Except of course for such things as barrels and other little tidbits.  I have spruced up the transom's decorations a bit with black paint.  That was for no other reason but to contrast a bit with the brass filigree stuff.
 
I do appreciate both your kind words.  It gives me encouragement to keep it up.  I've gotten away from describing all the pitfalls I run into and how I have worked around them.  My earliest posts were like a primer on how not to build a model.  Now when I run into difficulties I think its more from lack of foresight or plain inexperience.  The one thing I can't reconcile myself to is that so often the plans or instructions are just wrong.  I'm getting better at recognizing that and trusting in my own concepts and measurements. Having sailed my own boat for years I understand some things about how ships are put together and how things need to work, but that's a far cry from understanding an 18th century square rigger.

Well I don't know if you could say I'm moving forward with the rigging or just kind of planning for it.  Most of my time the last 2 weeks have been in putting blocks on the deck and hull and experimenting with ways to make my chainplates and deadeyes.  The pre-planning has been extremely useful.  All the above suggestions and comments have given me the confidence start the process.  But first I will build and mount the bowsprit, mount all the half pound guns and the anchors, and build and mount the launch.  I already have built the jolly boat so I've really got a head start - ha ha ha.  After that I suppose you have to build and put up the masts before any real rigging is done.
 
Just so this log isn't too boring with questions and samples, here's a few pictures of my 90% completed deck.  I only have the blocks around the foremast to do.  Down below I'll stick in some ballast, hammocks, bales and whatever else comes to mind and will fit.  I love the detail work you've been doing Boyd.  Its inspiring.

Thanks for another tip Danny.  I can't believe how much minute detail all this model building entails, most of it I'm sure being quite important in the end.  Of course what I showed above (bad photos I admit) is a sample and I'll definitely be watching out for those holes.

Seems like I'm only updating this log when I have a problem.  At the moment I have several, but I'll focus today on just one.... how to proceed with attaching the deadeyes through the channels and onto the chains.  I've posted this issue under a rigging forum and received a couple helpful replies.  But I thought someone who is actually working on or has completed this AL Bounty kit could give me a tip.  Here's the problem (which the pictures should illustrate).  I followed the directions and put 1.5mm holes into the channels appropriately spaced.  Now I'm putting the strops on the deadeyes (well, trying to) and I find that the 2 strands of stropping (kit calls for 1mm brass wire) will not fit through the 1.5 mm hole.  I'm trying to reach a conclusion as to how to deal with this and the options seemingly are: (1) drill or ream out the holes, (2) cut slots back to the holes so the strops can slide back into the holes, (3) fill the holes and cut (or file) notches on the outer edge of the channels for the stropping (and then cover the notches with a strip of wood, (4) improvise something bizarre like using smaller wire for the stropping, even perhaps thread.  Simplest seems like (1).  That would just be a matter of how big to make the holes.  Would the holes just need to accommodate the two strands of wire (ie 2 mm), or wider so I can form an eye at the end of the strop and still fit it through the holes?  I can't make these holes too wide since there's so many in a row. 
 
Here's some photos to illustrate.  Included one of the instruction books pix.

No need to collect more walnut dust....I have about an ounce of it from my hull sanding.  I've never really gotten good results though using it as a filler.  Maybe I'm using too much glue and not making the stuff thick enough.

Thanks for waiting.  Here's the shots of my channels.  I included a shot of my instruction photo from which I thought to drill the holes.  It still looks like that's what they're calling for.  But that's not to say its correct or the best way.  Filling these holes would not be a problem  My thinking now is that if I put the deadeyes through these existing holes they might be too close to the hull; not far enough outboard that the shrouds won't touch the rails.

But in this case, the case of Artesiana Latina's misleading or ambiguous nomenclature, I have to go with JC's conclusion.  They simply did a poor job of translating from Spanish to English.  And it isn't the only time.

Seems like I'm only updating this log when I have a problem.  At the moment I have several, but I'll focus today on just one.... how to proceed with attaching the deadeyes through the channels and onto the chains.  I've posted this issue under a rigging forum and received a couple helpful replies.  But I thought someone who is actually working on or has completed this AL Bounty kit could give me a tip.  Here's the problem (which the pictures should illustrate).  I followed the directions and put 1.5mm holes into the channels appropriately spaced.  Now I'm putting the strops on the deadeyes (well, trying to) and I find that the 2 strands of stropping (kit calls for 1mm brass wire) will not fit through the 1.5 mm hole.  I'm trying to reach a conclusion as to how to deal with this and the options seemingly are: (1) drill or ream out the holes, (2) cut slots back to the holes so the strops can slide back into the holes, (3) fill the holes and cut (or file) notches on the outer edge of the channels for the stropping (and then cover the notches with a strip of wood, (4) improvise something bizarre like using smaller wire for the stropping, even perhaps thread.  Simplest seems like (1).  That would just be a matter of how big to make the holes.  Would the holes just need to accommodate the two strands of wire (ie 2 mm), or wider so I can form an eye at the end of the strop and still fit it through the holes?  I can't make these holes too wide since there's so many in a row. 
 
Here's some photos to illustrate.  Included one of the instruction books pix.

Thanks for the replies.  The kit is still the one I started 18 months ago -- A.L.'s Bounty.  Considering all that's been said, particularly that the real difference is that the later clump blocks had sheaves while the deadeyes just have holes -- the fact that most of the blocks used on models don't actually have spinning sheaves, I think Danny is right.  When I need to order some it'll be deadeyes.  Thanks again everyone.