themadchemist

What an amazing journey Grant, She's a magnificent piece of historic art that will be a family heirloom for generations.
I highly admire your cutting into the hull, especially at this point in the build, to add the sheave blocks, That must have taken nerves of steel but you've proven that your equipped with those as you've progressed through one of the more complex ships that can be built and came out on top.
 
I really look forward to your building of the other ships boats. I'm glad you decided to include the cutters. Aren't they clinker built? That should be fun to watch you master. Your building of the first ships boat gave me a whole new appreciation for those small little vessels. I hope to some day attempt a clinker built hull and look forward to learning from your example.
  
Somewhere, I can feel Nelson smiling.....
I think of his quotes -
England expects that every man will do his duty.
and
Duty is the great business of a sea officer; all private considerations must give way to it, however painful it may be.
--- Horatio Nelson

To an Officer and Gentleman, Thanks for sharing your build with us as it helps MSW and her community immensely to have your archival for future builders and not just those of the Victory. I've taken nearly everything I've learned from seeing the work of others and one of the most important lessons I've learned is that of perseverance and determination. Your Victory is definitely a Victory, Congrats.


 

June 5, 2011
 
 
It feels like ages since the last update. [Ha, well, not really in the reposting.  In fact, I am getting kind of sick of looking at my Oneida photos.  But the reposting is almost done!]  I have finished treenailing and sanding the bulwarks and wales. Next I installed 6 scuppers.

After studying what little information I had available, I located three scuppers on each side. One at the lowest point of the deck sheer, and two others equidistant from the one at the low point.

Then I drilled through by hand, a little bit at a time from marks on each side, judging the angle by eye--


 
 
Finally going all the way through--
 

 
 
My first thought was to use a single piece of brass tubing for each scupper--here they are pushed through the holes--
 

 

 
 
I filed the center hole a little to widen the inner diameter--
 

 
 
Realized that a faster way would be to hammer a pin into the end--
 

 
 
This shows the difference between a freshly cut end, and one that has had the pin hammered in the end--
 

 
 
I also quickly realized it would be too difficult to get the right angles filed on the ends, as well as the correct length at the same time, so I cut each tube in half and fabricated the ends separately.

I used the same pin to hold the pieces for test fitting. (The test fitting actually happens before the piece is blackened) --
 

 
 
And gluing them into place with CA glue--
 

 
 
At both ends of the photo you see two of the scuppers--
 

 
 
And also on the outside--
 

 
 
Contemplating what do do next. The cap rails will wait for a while. There are blocks to inset into the bulwarks, eyebolts for the carronades, the catheads and some other things that I think will be better to do before the cap rails.

All for now,
Ron

March 29, 2011
 
 
The sweep ports have been filed to size, and the bulwarks have been sanded down to the correct height--
 

 
 
I've started marking the bow bulwarks with guidelines for treenails--
 

 
 
Hard to believe I'm approaching the end of the framing and planking (also hard to believe it won't be long before I reach the two year mark on the build!!!)--
 

 
 
Still treenailing to do, and the top rails; but I'm mentally gearing up for the next major phase--a multitude of little constructions--capstan, pumps, finishing the rudder, to name just a few--to complete the deck and hull. I have to get back to planning the rigging, so I know where to put cleats, sheaves in the bulwarks, etc.

 
 
April 7, 2011
 
 
Working on thinning the bulwarks.

Here is the starboard side which hasn't been done yet--
 

 
 
Compare that to the port side which has been sanded so the tops are 9.5 inches wide--
 

 
 
The difference is not huge, but it's definitely noticable, and the thinner ones look more correct--
 

 
 
 
April 15, 2011
 
 
My next task was to drill the necessary holes in the stem for the gammoning and bobstays. Using the Bergh hull plans and sail plan as a reference, I started drawing in pencil on the stem, and became aware that the porportions were a little different. The stem I had was almost 1/4" (a foot in scale) shorter than the one on the plans. [i'm not sure what happened here, but I think part of it is that my rabbet may have been cut too far forward.]  After thinking this over for quite a while (while sanding the bulwarks down) I resolved to replace the stem piece. This would also make it easier to drill those rigging holes.


I traced the profile from the plans, and cut out a new piece--
 

 
 
Here's a shot that shows the difference between my earlier stem and the one based on the plans --
 

 
 
Using isopropyl alcohol and some care, the old one is removed--
 

 
 
Test fitting the new piece--
 

 
 
The gammoning slot was made by drilling 4 or five holes in a row, threading the jewelers saw blade through the last hole and sawing from one end to the other. This was the only way I could think of to clean up the slot--a sliver of sandpaper--
 

 
 
Here's the new stem piece glued on--
 

 
 
After this dries, there are some areas I need to file and sand to meet the stem just a little better--


 
April 21, 2011
 
 
Woolsey on deck--
 

 
 
 
May 4, 2011
 
 
Friends,

After the fix of the stem, I turned to the task of treenailing the wale and bulwarks.

I was quickly stopped short.  In a span of minutes I broke 4 of my .020" drill bits. I drilled the treenail holes for the complete hull planking without breaking a single bit. (Actually, I did break one, but it was not while drilling--I carelessly let the bit contact the table while setting the drill down.) So this really took the wind out of my sails.


I managed only a very small portion of the wale and one section of bulwark. The picture shows bamboo treenails glued into most of the holes that I did successfully drill--
 


 
I also found it very hard to see what I was doing. My vision has been great until the past year, but age is catching up with me and I've noticed a dramatic loss in my close up vision.

I was trying to rig a magnifying glass to help me, but I think this contributed to my poor handling of the drill.
 

 
 
This is what you see through the magnifying glass. A mess. I broke the top corner of the bulwark by pushing a little to hard with the pin I use to make a starter hole for the drill. One of the empty holes has a drill bit stuck in it that I don't know how to remove. Another hole was double drilled. It's hard to look at this and not get discouraged--
 

 
 
Fortunately, I've been doing this just long enough to know that it's going to come out okay in the end.


I ordered some vision help [i am kicking myself for not getting one of these sooner.  I can actually see what I'm doing now!!  Sometimes it seemed like I was working by feel as much as sight.] , and you see my remaining supply of bits (plus one that is in the drill)--
 

 
 
And I'm ready to go again--
 

 
 
 
May 12, 2011
 
 
Just a small update--I have drilled and glued the treenails in the starboard wale and bulwarks. Both are .020". And no more  drill bits broken!

They have been sanded flush, but still some final sanding to do--
 

 
 
After some more sanding, and a coat of finish--
 

 

 
 
It's interesting to me that the exact same bamboo treenails look like black spots in the wood of the hull and bulwarks, and light spots in the stained wale. I'm glad--I was afraid that they'd disappear completely in the wale. [i unfortunately lost these in my recent modification of the wale.  The treenails got stained black, so they are not visible anymore]

Also, there are places where I sanded partially through the black stain. I'm not sure whether I like the way it looks, or whether I'll somehow try to fix those areas.
 
 

May 16, 2100
 
 
Treenailing continues on the port side--


 

 

 
 
Ron

March 19, 2011
 
 
Here is how I am planning on attaching anchor bolts for the display base. But before getting into it I'll just explain--it would have been better to sandwich the nuts between the keel and keelson, or the keel and a frame floor, but at the time I was gluing the keel together, and the frames, I felt too insecure about exactly how to do that. Part of it was that I wasn't at all sure about where they should be located on the keel, to achieve a nice balanced spacing. So, I rather foolishly blew on by that step. Now, the attachment will be a little less secure, and possibly prone to ripping out, but if the model is in a case, I think this will still be one step better than just resting on supports with no mechanical attachment.

First I filed the sides off of two nuts, so that they would fit inside the width of the keel--
 

 
 
Here is the filed nut sitting on the keel--
 

 
 
I traced around it and carefully carved out a cavity for the nut--
 

 
 
The cavity is just a hair deeper than the nut--
 

 

 
 
After I was satisfied with the depth of the cavities, I drilled into the center, to allow the bolt threads to go further into the keel, to give some additional sideways resistance--in other words that should help keep the nut from ripping out of the keel if the model is accidentally pushed or rotated sideways--
 

 
 
There is a slight "drag" to the keel. It is not parallel to the waterline, so that necessitates that the angle of the supports be slightly off 90 degrees. I transferred the correct angle to some card, and checked to make sure the bolts were close to this angle. It's barely visible, and there is some play in the dry fitting. When gluing the nuts in, I'll have to watch this carefully--
 

 
 
Here is the bolt screwed down into the keel (compare it with photo just before the drill bit picture)--
 

 
 
And here's a shot of the two bolts--
 

 
 
The perspective fools the eye, but you can see that more threads are showing on the bolt in the background, this will bring the bow up farther than the stern, and result in the waterline of the model being parallel to the base, rather than the keel--


 
 
 
Ron

March 12, 2011
 
 
Bulwarks are all planked. They still need some sanding, fine tune the height, and file the sweep ports to the proper size--
 

 

 

 
 
To finish planking the transom is next--
 

 
 
 
March 13, 2011
 
 
Fortunately I was able to make the bow problem go away!

Now, I have to make a stern problem go away. I have been dreading finishing up this part, but as always, just taking things one step at a time keeps what seems like a complicated task from being overwhelming.

I had reshaped the transom ports from what was framed by the timbers, and as the inside planking approached the ports, I needed to resolve this mess.

First, I realized that to get a good joint between the planking and the port sills, I would need to bring the planking up one more piece, and then make new sills to fill the gap.

Here the last bit of the starboard side sill is cut away--
 

 
 
Then glue the next piece of planking. The rudderpost hole is just a starter, it will be sized to the rudder later--
 

 
 
Then I made the new sills, this time out of pear, which will match the others, and the planking. Also, I blackened the edges of the outer planking--
 

 
 
Then I glued some scraps of cherry for the missing jamb pieces. The more "true" fix would have meant completely dismantling the transom, and reframing the transom timbers; definitely NOT something I was prepared to do!--
 

 
 
Last was gluing in some new lintel pieces--
 

 
 
And now I'm ready to finish planking. One tricky thing here is that to get the shallow edge bent curve of the planking I think I'll have to boil some long pieces, and after setting a curve in them, cut them to the shorter lengths needed.
 
 
 
March 15, 2011
 
 
Here is a small supply of slightly curved planks. I did run out of this size--these were sanded down from wider stock--


 
 
Planking continues up the transom--
 

 
 
 
February 18, 2011
 
 
I now started planking the narrow areas on the two sides of the transom. I cut a small piece, and filed it to the right shape, test fitting numerous times to determine the right angles to make--
 

 
 
As I began thinking that these small pieces are going to be a real pain, it quickly dawned on me that there was an easier way. I would glue the short pieces of plank together first, and file the piece all at once--


 

 
 
This was much easier; here they are glued in--
 

 
 
And a piece across the top to complete the ports--
 

 

 
I need another strake across the top, and there will be some fine-tuning to the shape of the transom top later, but that's just about it now for the planking.  Next I think will be some miscellaneous tasks that I've put off for a while, like bolts in the keel to attach to the future display stand (yes, I know, I should have done this at the very beginning!), and drilling some holes in the stem for stays and gammoning (this should have been done at the beginning also!). Filing the sweep ports. Oh, and treenailing the wales and outer bulwarks. Time to get the drawplate out again.
 
 
Ron

In this final series of shots, I wanted to show some views of the Launch on the skid beams. I fitted a couple of eye-bolts to the keelson of the boat and attached the lifting gear, to show the boat in the process of being readied for launching.  I haven't yet tied off the tackle falls, in case I change my mind about this, or some of you have better ideas for this aspect.
 

 

 

 

 
This last shot shows quite clearly the Fore course sheet and the Main course tack passing through their respective hull sheave blocks.
 

 
And that's your lot for now.  Hopefully it won't be too long before I start posting progress on the remaining boats.

This series of photos shows some close-ups of the rigging.  I wanted to try to capture some of the "busy-ness" of it all, especially under the tops and around the forecastle.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this, and the next two posts, I'll show some overall progress shots.  I decided that to celebrate the occasion of completing the rigging, it was time to try and take some decent photos.  So I bought some sheets of light blue cardboard from the local art supply shop (having read somewhere here that light blue provides the best background for ship photos), and made up a temporary photo booth.  Of course before I could do that, I had to completely clear off and clean the shipyard table too (an added bonus)!
 
I experimented a bit with camera settings, so the quality varies a bit, but here goes;
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi all,
 
Thanks again for all the kind words and also for all the "likes".  It's been a while since I've updated the log, partly because I haven't been home much, and partly because progress shots of rigging gets pretty monotonous after a while.  Anyway, the big news is, that having had the Easter weekend plus a few extra days of purely "me time", the rigging is at last complete!
 
Doin' the Happy Dance!      
 
But of course it wasn't all plain sailing to get there.  As we know, there have been a few modifications to the kit instructions, plans and parts required along the way.  So this post will show a couple of these, and then I've got a ton of photos of the completed rigging that I'll post in separate posts shortly.  That should keep you know who happy for at least a week!
 
First up, the Spiders.  These are metal straps that hold the block for the aft end of the Main course sheets.  The kit supplied parts were made of a soft and brittle metal that basically crumbled as soon as I tried to insert a block in the looped end.  No real drama here. After some earlier experience in making deadeye straps, the process was basically the same.  Form the shape with some brass wire, silver solder, blacken and there you go.  Here's a pic showing my two home made versions on the left versus what remains of one of the kit ones (the other was in several pieces): 
 

 
Next up, the Clue/Sheet/Tack block arrangement for both Main and Fore courses.  A relatively simple arrangement, though I decided to add shoulders to the Clue blocks.  You can see these in the photo.  The more observant of you will note that the shoulders are at the wrong end of the block! Doh!   No problem, I fixed this before final fitting.
 

 
As I was studying the plans and reading the equivalent section in Longridge, I realised that the kit had taken a major shortcut, that had I realised, I could have fixed easily during the hull construction stage.  Fixing it at three-quarters of the way through the rigging stage proved a little more challenging.  I am referring to the through-hull sheave blocks for the Main course tack and the Fore course sheet.  The kit directions would have you simply drill a hole in the ships side and poke a line through.  Not good enough! says I.  Making up the sheave blocks was fairly simple - I made these up in a gang, using some scrap timber and some brass rod for the sheaves themselves:
 

 
So how do you insert these into a completed hull, with lots of rigging already in place?  Well, you just start hacking away don't you? What could possibly go wrong? 
 
To be honest, I thought long and hard before I started this round of surgery.  Even after I made up the sheave blocks, I almost chickened out.  But then I remembered the stern re-build and how well that turned out.  So on I went.  First step was drilling a series of holes around the outline of where the sheave block would fit:
 

 
Then it was time to hack into it with a small key-hole type saw in the Exacto:
 

 
About now, you're probably thinking "he's nuts!" - yep, so was I........
 
But a little further work with a file, and it's not looking so bad:
 

 
Then it's fit the sheave blocks into their new home:
 

 

 
A touch of filler around the outside, and a lick of paint and it's done! 
 

 

 
The lead for the Main course Sheet through the Quaterdeck bulwark is supposed to be through a lead lined hole, but the kit again just indicates the hole...  This was a simple fix by cutting a piece of brass tube and blackening, then inserting in the hole.  No photos of this in progress, but you might be able to pick it out in the following posts.
 
The next three posts will show in order: some overall shots of progress to date, some close ups of the rigging, and some close ups of the launch in place on the skid beams.
 
I'm well satisfied with my "long" weekend's work.  I still have to make up eleventy gazillion rope coils (and yes, that's the right number - I counted them  ), make up some anchors, fit the quarter davits, and make some more boats.  I've decided that I'll make a Pinnace to join the Launch on the skid beams, and two Sea Cutters to hang from the quarter davits.  I think that boat making will be the next task - it will be nice to be making sawdust again instead of macrame!
 
 

Hi all,
 
Another trip to Sydney this weekend meant not much time in the shipyard, but on the plus side, I was allowed to go back to my favourite toy store (Carbatec) and buy the 10" bandsaw I'd been eyeing off!
 
We came home on Saturday night, so I did get to turn to in the shipyard for a while today.  Managed to finish off and install the Driver Boom and Gaff.  No particular difficulties here. The kit plans were close again, and only needed a little modification with the assistance of Longridge.
 
Here are some overall shots of the day's work:
 

 

 

 

 
It's on to Bow lines next, then Sheets, Tacks and Braces.  I'm taking a few days off work from Easter through to Anzac Day, so will end up with a 10 day break.  Hopefully, this will give me the time I need to finish off the running rigging.  Then it will be Boats, Anchors and housekeeping only left to go.  Did I say "only"???????      
 
 

Well, I managed to finish off the Mizzen yards as planned today.  I've attached a few pics to give the overall impression, but I'm afraid the photographer is not very good!    I tried placing a large cutting mat as the background so that the lighter running rigging could be seen instead of disappearing into the white wall behind.
 
Here they are anyway;
 

 

 

 

 
Okay, next up Driver Boom and Gaff.  That may have to wait a little while as we're off to Sydney again next weekend  ...... although I've been promised another visit to Carbatec where I've got my eye on a 10" bandsaw..........    

February 3, 2011
 
 
Working very sporadically, but some progress:

Many of the port side bulwarks have been planked outside and in. Some ports sanded smooth. The planking stock is of varying thickness, so sanding continues to make the bulwarks smooth. Only one of the sweep ports is filed to its final size  [i changed the bulbs in my dining room light from incandescent to compact flourescent.  My camera couldn't deal with it.  The color is horrible.  After a few days I changed them back] --
 

 
 
Lots of masking tape to try and protect the gunport sills, deck, and wale during filing and sanding of the bulwarks, gunports, and sweep ports--
 

 

 
 
I don't know whether or not the inner bulwarks were caulked in actual practice. I have elected to not show caulking there on the model.
 
 
 
February 21, 2011
 
 
I am plodding along on the bulwarks. Most of the middle bulwarks are planked inside and out, and the port side is rough sanded and the gunports sanded flush. The starboard side has not been sanded yet. None of the sweep ports are done, except one on the port side as a test. The height of the bulwarks is also not to final dimension.

As usual, the bow and stern are the trickiest areas, and I'm also trying to be economical with my planking strips, it's going to be a close call as to whether or not I will have enough to finish--
 

 
 
That's all for now.
 
 
 
March 7, 2011
 
 
Well, I've been working away at the bulwarks. What I thought would be a relatively quick job has taken surprisingly long; mostly because I've been picking away at it pretty slowly.

Because it's been pretty repetitive, there hasn't been much to show--but now I have a problem that may be worthwhile to document.

I'm now at the bow, and at first it was looking pretty good--
 

 
 
But as the bulwark planking progressed up, the angle where the bulwarks come together seemed to be getting a bit too sharp--
 

 
 
Indeed, I checked the plans, and at the bow, the curve of the sheer (top of the bulwarks) should be following roughly parallel the curve at the deck. You can see the difference here--


 
 
I've let a bunch of inaccuracies go, but this one affects the overall look too much. Nothing to do but try and correct it. First is a cut and some trimming at the point where the planking comes together. As the planks will be meeting sooner, I need to trim some length off--


 
 
Also, I cut the planking away from the frames on the inside--
 

 
 
And started to shim out the planking until I got closer to the right curve--
 

 
 
After gluing the shims in place, I began cutting the outer planking away from the frames--
 

 
 
 
Then using the knife and a chisel, I started carving away at the outer face of the frames--
 

 
 
I'll keep you posted on how this comes out--acceptable I hope!. If it ends up looking not good enough, I'll take the planking off completely, and try again.


Elia had given me a heads up on this potential problem, but I thought I had gotten it right, as the angle at the deck was good. I hadn't forseen that the angle would change so much between the deck and top of the bulwarks.
 
 
 
March 8, 2011
 
 
A little more explanation of the problem might help. Here is Chapelle's plan, notice the deck line, and sheer line. The red is where my sheer line was ending up--
 

 
 
Here's the "side view". In my profession we would call this the "elevation", but I think this is officially the "sheer plan". Anyway, the yellow line is a nice smooth curve from the hull up through the bulwarks. Again, the red line is where my bulwarks were going--
 

 
 
Here is the uncorrected starboard side, showing the planks extending beyond the line indicated in the plans--
 

 
 
This is the corrected port side, after my surgery. It more closely follows the plans--


 
 
A few different views: The interior bulwarks are both corrected. On the outside the port side has been done, but not the starboard--
 

 

 

 
 
Oneida does have a relatively sharp bow, but it is somewhat less so than Niagara, for example. I think I was ending up with Niagara bulwarks on an Oneida hull! All of the lines of the ship need to work together, and I think this has been well worth the effort to correct.

 
 
Ron

January 16, 2011
 
 
Just a small progress update--

1) First a hole is drilled at the sweep port location, 2)then it is filed square to almost the final dimensions. 3) The planking is glued around the sweep port, and 4) it is filed again--
 

 
 
January 24, 2011
 
 
Shipwrights, I have worked on a few various areas over the weekend.

For the inner bulwarks, I need some strip wood approximately 1/16th x 1/16th inch, which I don't have. Rather than order some and wait, I figured out a way to rough mill some extra planking stock I have. The milled edge isn't nearly perfect, and it wastes a lot of wood, but I only need about 2 feet, or one strip worth. This way is much easier, quicker and probably safer than trying to cut the hard pear with a knife and straightedge, which was my other option. (Someday, maybe I will have the Byrne's saw.)--
 

 

 
 
Here are a few of those pieces being glued into place--
 

 
 
I also figured that now is the time to cut the transom ports, as I get ready to plank the inside of the transom. The Chapelle plans show trapezoidal ports--
 

 
 
However, as I framed them, they would come out more square, and at a different spacing. I decided to ignore the framing timbers, and cut the openings as they are on the Chapelle plans. Started by drilling some rough holes--
 

 
 
And I'm gradually filing them to shape. The inner timber gets substantially cut into; I bolstered the side with some extra scrap. For the outer timber I will have to glue a new piece to form that side once I finalize the shape. I also glued the aft margin plank in, and the first transom inner planking piece is pinned to dry after being boiled for a few minuts--it has a slight curve in two directions--
 

 
 
The starboard transom port is getting close to the right size and shape, the other one still has a way to go--
 

 
 
 
Ron

January 3, 2011
 
 
It's taken me over two weeks to get to it, but I started the new year off by finishing the deck planking--
 

 

 

 

 
 
Next task is sanding and scraping the deck smooth. Those temporary planks across the hatches are to help with that. The scraper tends to dip down over the hatch, making a ridge in the adjacent plank if one is not careful--
 

 
 
I don't think I'm going to treenail the deck. In actual practice they plugged the treenailed or iron bolt holes so the grain ran the same as the deck (not end grain like a hull treenail) so that the plug would wear the same as the deck. Often the plugs are barely noticable.
 
 
The forward plank ends will not be nibbed into the margin plank. Partly for aesthetic reasons, because I will have a dark margin plank and I didn't want to highlight the two or three planks that would need to be nibbed. And partly because they would have also happened to fall right at a hooked scarf joint in the margin plank (poor planning there), so I didn't want to complicate that with the nibbed planks.

On each side there is one plank that is joggled into a hooked plank--
 

 
 
You may notice that the starboard outside plank, and the one it is joggled into, are larger than the port side. Sigh. The spacing worked out perfectly on the port side, which I did first. But on the starboard side, my deck is wider!!   The outside plank had to be made up of two separate planks glued together as seamlessly as I could manage, and then sanded back to the right width. At its maximum width, it is about one and a half times the normal width. I saved two pieces of nearly grainless Maple for this. The hooked plank is also a composite piece. They worked out okay, I don't think the glued joint is very perceptible.
 
I also hope that with the carronades, cannons, and all the rigging, that the difference between the two sides will not be very apparent.  [Well, I had completely forgotten about that terrible asymmetry until reposting this.]
 
 
 
January 8, 2011
 
 
The margin planks are glued in, and the deck has been sanded smooth--
 

 
 
You can get a glimpse outside of the snowy weather we had yesterday and last night. I'm not a fan of winter, but this was a pretty snowfall--
 

 
 
The temporary planks have been removed from the hatches--
 

 

 
 
Next up will be installing the binding strakes. [i learned their correct name.]
 
 
 
January 10, 2011
 
 
The binding strakes are glued in--


 

 

 
 
This was more diffictult than I thought it would be. The planking is actually slightly uneven in height (due to a multitude of causes--uneven deck beams and uneven sanding being the primary culprits), and to make the binding strake a consistent inch or so (in scale) above the deck required some shimming of the binding strake on the deck beams, and careful scraping. There's still some fine tuning to do, but it's mostly as good as it's going to get--
 

 

 

 
 
I think I can put off planking the bulwarks, inside and out, no longer. That along with cutting the sweep ports, will be next.

 
 
Ron

November 21, 2010
 
 
This work was more time-consuming than I thought it would be, working out the taper both fore and aft, and cutting the planks around the bitts and hatch coamings. I had to adjust the width of the planking strakes, and shave some width off of some of the hatch coamings, and the main mast partner piece, to make it work out.

Here's the center portion planked, with all the "deck furniture" removed--
 

 

 

 
 
 
November 27, 2010
 
 
Hello shipwrights,

Small bits of work this past week--

First I glued some 24 foot (in scale) planks together, in order to more easily sand a taper into a bunch at once. Individually they get very difficult to hold against the sand paper. (I have sanded off the tips of my fingers once or twice).

This is the unsanded width--
 

 
 
And here is approximately the width I need at the narrow end. This is a little fat still, but I don't want to accidentally make them too narrow. I'll adjust as I glue them--
 

 
 
I have temporarily glued the ringbolt strake in (also tapered in width), and have begun gluing the rest of the deck planks on--
 

 
 
The last picture shows my supplies for this work: a bunch of roughly tapered planks (separated back into their individual pieces from the "block" shown in the first photos), strips of paper caulking, sand paper, sanding block, emory board, glue, pencil, and gluing clips. I'm also using a small saw for cutting the planks to rough length--


 
Hoping to make some visible progress this weekend.
 
 
 
November 28, 2010
 
 
A dozen or so planks done today, in between other chores. The ringbolt planks are removed now--
 

 
 
Lt. Woolsey observes the progress in the shipyard--


 
 
After thinking about it, Lt. Woolsey had an idea.

Unlike the hull, where the multiple curves make it impossible, the carpenters could actually lay out the planks, to make sure everything will fit right.

So that's what they did.

Here are the port side planks cut to length and laid on the deck, in position--
 

 
 
The last row of planks are sitting up on the margin plank, because at the ends, they don't all fit yet. Still a little fat. But now I have it planned out, for the port side at least. After I glue up this side, I'll mirror it on the starboard side. I also haven't finalized the bow planks. Still thinking about the nibbing--
 

 
 
Then all planks were removed and laid out on the table--


 
 
I then worked on thinning down the widths of the aft end planks. Here they are dry fit--
 

 
 
Gluing the planks can resume.
 
 
 
November 29, 2010
 
 
Jim Lad wrote:
         A cunning trick Ron - making sure they all fit property before you unlimber the old glue pot.
 
 
Ha!  Sometimes the obvious path takes me by surprise!
 

 
 
Another weekend has flown by. Only half of the port side planks you see here are glued. There was much trial and error sanding and fitting of the planks to make them fit nicely. The bow is still "to be determined". I think I will try to avoid nibbing the margin plank. I might be able to close up the bow with just one or two joggled planks. I'll have to cheat though, I only have maple planks in one width, and I'll need a wider plank to do the joggling. If that's what I end up doing, I'll try to "invisibly" glue small additions where needed to the planks.
 
 
 
December 9, 2010
 
 
Not much time for modeling lately, but I have finished the deck planking on the port side.


Here is the space for the last plank. This one is joggled into the previous plank at the bow, and that is the only joggled plank. No nibbing. I notched out that plank to approximately half it's width--
 

 

 
 
Here is the port side all glued with the margin plank placed dry--
 

 
 
And some photos with the margin plank removed--
 

 

 

 
 
I have done some minimal sanding to the planking that's been done, but the real smoothing and finishing will wait until the starboard side is glued down. After all is sanded smooth, the margin planks, binding strakes and hatches can be glued for good.
 
 
 
Ron

November 7, 2010
 
 
I have continued making the pieces that will determine the deck planking layout. I have them just about done. They are very lightly glued to the framing. After I install the deck planking, I will take all these off to scrape/sand the deck, then put them back on more permanently.

I think that the only other pieces that the deck planking goes around are the pumps, but I think I will wait and cut those through the deck, instead of planking around them now. The jeer and topsail bitts fit within the square of the mast partner pieces, so I don't have to do those yet. The bowsprit step is just a "placeholder" at this point--it needs a lot more work, but will suffice as a guide to plank around in the meantime. I will also finish the aft companionway and skylight (if I choose to do that instead of the hatchgrating), and capstan, after the deck planking is done--
 

 

 
 
As I started to cut my first deck plank, the middle plank right at the bow, I realized that I don't have wood for the margin plank! Arrgghh! I will have to send off for a few pieces of wider Maple to make up the margin planks.

While I await that small wood shipment, I will work on the bulwark planking, and treenailing the wale.


 
 
November 9, 2010
 
 
While looking at some photos of other models (the 74 by Dmitry Shevelev in the "Completed Ships" topic here [sadly, as far as I know this has not made it back on MSW 2.0], and two by Frolich) I noticed that they used a dark margin plank. I was excited to see this, and decided to make my margin plank out of pear. I think it looks good, and I won't have to order more wood.


I cut some forward planks from wider stock, and once I made a good fit against the waterway, transferred the line for the inside edge. For the rest of the margin planks I will use straight stock, since the bend is not so severe,and there won't be as much nibbing--
 

 

 
 
 
November 12, 2010
 
 
I continue to work (slowly) on fitting the margin planks--
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
November 15, 2010
 
 
The margin planks are cut and laid in place. They are not glued down yet, because I'll have to remove at least the bow pieces to do the nibbing.

I have decided to show the heavier planks that carry the ringbolts along each side of the deck. (what are they called?) These are tacked down like the hatches. After I lay the deck planking they will come off, be cut into separate planks, then  reinstalled--
 

 
 
I have made them curve in at the stern, and so I will also be tapering the planking there. I don't think I would have gone through the extra work of this (especially as I don't know if it would have been that way on this ship), except that the stern is very tight, and I didn't want the last carronades to overlap the ringbolt plank. I've made it so the last carronade is barely clear--
 

 
 
After pondering a bit, I will also taper the forward planking. It seems inconsistent to not do it forward if I am going to do it aft. I haven't determined the exact curve yet, so in this picture the ringbolt plank is straight, but as I start to glue in the center planking, I will figure out the curve and taper of the planks. The center planking between the hatches is just cut and laid in place; not glued yet. The few planks at the bow are glued. I hadn't decided to curve and taper the planks when I glued those, and I will have to decide whether I can leave them, or if I will have to remove and redo them to accomodate the curve--
 

 
 
I have tried to base a lot of my guesses about various details on Glenn Grieco's model of Jefferson. That model is also a Lake Ontario brig, built just a few years after Oneida. That model is based on archological research on the Jefferson's sunken hull.  It's probably as accurate a model as can be made. However, surely some of the details are "reconstruction" work (to use Howard Chapelle's term).

Jefferson was equipped with mostly carronades, but the model shows the wider, thicker ring-bolt plank--
 

 
 
It's interesting that the ring-bolts are shown only at the midship area of the deck, and not at the aft end. They are also spaced closer together than would be needed for just the gun tackles--
 

 
 
My guess is that the deck might incorporate the ring-bolt plank for flexibility--giving the option of fitting out with either carronades or long guns, and also the ring-bolts may be used for general lashing points; or other rigging uses I may not have a clue about.

Anyway, I will have two six pounder long guns in the bow, so the ring-bolts will be needed at least there!

 
 
November 20, 2010
 
 
So, ringbolts will be included. I also looked at the Syren brig, and though it is rigged with carronades, in has ringbolts also.

But, they are a ways away. Little progress--I have finished the planking that lies between the ringbolt strakes, forward of the main hatch--


 

 
 
In the next picture I have removed the various deck pieces within that area of planking, for easier sanding--
 

 
 
On to the middle rear planking, then the ringbolt strakes, then the rest of the planking.
 
 
 
Ron

November 3, 2010
 
 
I've begun work on the hatch coamings. The main hatch coaming is glued and sanded, With some thin pieces I will need to glue a ledge on the inside for the hatch grating to sit on.

I had one extra deck beam, so I glued an emery board to it, to sand the deck camber into the coamings and hatch gratings.


On the right are the pieces for the smaller hatches--
 

 
 
 
November 4, 2010
 
 
Once in a while I get the urge to go into a little more detail about exactly how I am doing things on this build. This is one of those times. Not because I am any kind of expert, but you might be interested in how one person does something.  Anyway, it's fun.


So here is a step-by-step building of one of the smaller hatch coamings. This one will eventually be fitted with a ladder.

First thing I do is roughly measure the inside dimensions of the hatch, and make a saw cut about halfway through the
pieces-
 

 
 
Then with a chisel, they are notched out--
 

 
 
The notches are squared up and adjusted to final fit. The pieces are checked often to make sure the notches result in equal lengths--
 

 
 
Periodically the pieces are placed on the deck to see when I'm getting close to the right fit--
 

 
 
When the pieces form the right hatch size, they are glued--
 

 
 
After the glue sets, the protruding ends are pared away with the chisel--
 

 
 
Then all six sides are sanded smooth--
 

 
 
Here is my highly precise method for chamfering the outer edges. I tend to do a lot of things by eye--
 

 
 
But the result is acceptable to me--
 

 
 
Next I glue thin strips to the inside, and it's done. [Mistake here--these strips should only be on two sides--but can't remember now whether it's the sides or the front and back] 
 
Heads--
 

 
 
Tails--
 


 
And here is the finished coaming placed on the deck--
 

 
 
I have done the forward 3 hatches--
 

 
 
Just a couple more to do. I am considering making that last small hatch a skylight instead. The opening aft of that will be a companionway--
 

 
 
 
Ron

August 19, 2010
 
 
Cutting the main deck beams to correct length, and testing their position--
 

 
 
 
September 12, 2010
 
 
I'm halfway through trimming the main deck beams and dry fitting them. Having them in place will allow me to cut the support pillars to the proper height--
 

 
 
All beams cut, sides and bottoms sanded. The tops will remain rough because I'm afraid I'll mis-shape the camber if I sand them more--
 

 

 
 
 
October 1, 2010
 
 
I cut all the center posts, and started to shape them. Then, upon thinking things through a bit (always a good thing to do), I realized that I will have to do the deck carlings, ledges, at least dry fit, before installing the posts. This is because most of the notching of the beams and other deck framing will be much better done off the model, and some slight horizontal adjustment of the beams may be necessary to make everything line up true. So the posts are put on hold, taped with a number ascending from bow to stern. The post on the left I had already shaped, chamfering the corners on the portion between the berthing deck and the main deck beam--
 

 
 
In preparation for starting the beam work, I taped a thread down the center, and positioned the beams--
 

 
 
You can see I left one post in place (for no particular reason). That post I had to cut through the bricks and deck planks underneath--
 

 
 
Then I made a mark on each side of the thread, to denote the center point of each beam. You may notice the fifth beam up from the bow looks askew; it shifted at some point between marking the beams and taking the picture--
 

 
 
 
October 7, 2010
 
 
Slow and painstaking start to the deck framing. Most of the pieces will have to be adjusted from those that are laser cut in the kit, due to the different beam spacing I am using. (Didn't see that coming!)

I am starting from the bow and working back toward the middle. Then I will probably go to the stern and work forward. This is due to the fact that I glued the waterway pieces in long ago, so my deck beams can't simply be placed down on the
clamps, they have to be slid sideways into position. I sure hope this works!

Here are the first pieces. Some are glued, some are just dry fit--
 

 
 
This is one of the hanging knees that will need to be inserted--
 

 
 
These pieces are glued, though the knees have just a tiny spot of glue holding them. I will probably remove them to cut the notches for the ledges--
 

 
 
And the rest are just being fitted--
 

 
 
 
October 9, 2010
 
 
In the next photo you can see that where the main hatch will go, there is a beam missing, because that one doesn't go all the way across. Hopefully that will provide me with a big enough gap to work the last couple full beams in, and then finish with the divided hatch beam.

I laid all the beams in, with unfinished hatch gratings, mast partner pieces, carlings, etc, to check my deck layout. I think it will work. The bowsprit step may be a little too far aft, but I would have to respace my forward few beams to fix that, and I'm happy with the way they are spaced, so I'll leave it. If it really looks wrong later, I can cheat and put it closer to where it should be--
 

 
 
Here's a more messy in-progress view--
 

 
 
After shaping a pair of hanging knees, I glue them to the beam they support--


 
 
Then I dry fit it in place, to help with the shaping and trimming of the lodging knees--
 

 
 
 
When I have the lodging knees trimmed to fit snug against the hull, and trimmed to the right length between the beams, I need to mark the locations of the notches for the ledges. In the next photo you can see the laser cut markings for the notches, but they are not correct anymore, due to my different beam spacing--
 

 
 
I lay some ledge stock across, check the spacing and mark new locations of the notches--
 

 
 
Here at the forward companionway, I have half of the carling and ledges dry fit--
 

 
 
The shadow you see where the ledges notch into the carling is not a gap, but the ledges are slightly higher than the surface of the carling piece. Two reasons for that, one, it allows me to cut the notch just a little shallower, which helps immensly, and two, the ledges don't have any curve to them, and if I leave them just a little high at the ends, I can get the right curve when I sand the deck down after it's all glued.

Cutting the notches in the lodging knees and carlings is testing my patience. The cherry is very dry, and likes to split. I have to be constantly vigilant in adjusting the force I am using with the chisel, depending on which way the grain is running. I have split a few, and had to wait while I glue them back together. My work on the notches, especially at the knees is not the greatest, but hopefully I'll get better as I go.
 
 
 
October 11, 2010
 
 
 
Here's a shot of the billets of laser cut knees. I have to be careful not to crack them in half (as I have done to some) when I extract the next set to work on--
 

 
 
Now I have added one of the beam stanchions--
 

 
 
Here you can see some newly added ledgers, which clearly don't follow the camber of the deck compared to the previous set forward, which have been roughly sanded to follow the curve of the beams--
 

 
 
After seeing that picture with the stanchion, I decided I wanted a scale figure to inhabit my Oneida.

I cut out a small block of boxwood, and drew on it a hands-behind-his-back captain--
 

 
 
And after about an hour of carving he begins to emerge--
 

 
 
 
October 12, 2010
 
 
 
There are a lot of deck beams! So I am taking a break from them to finish Lt. Woolsey, who oversaw the building of Oneida--
 

 
 
Lieutenant Woolsey is on the scene now. Everything should come out right--
 

 
 
Ron

September 11, 2010 continued
 
 
I use masking tape for everything. And when I need to mask a painted area, I use something else. Haha.

So I thought I'd try it for holding pieces to be soldered.

I needed to make a little railing for the stove--
 

 
 
The masking tape lasted long enough, and the piece looked okay--
 

 
 
However, I was a little out of practice. Only two pieces joined--
 

 
 
Attempt No.2 was not much better--
 

 
 
Three pieces--
 

 
 
Third times the charm (vs. three strikes and you're out)--
 

 
 
Here it is cleaned up a little--
 

 
 
I realized I needed a second grate, spaced closer together, so here's my setup for that one--
 

 
 
I used more solder and longer heat--
 

 
 
And there are my two gratings--
 

 
 
I blackened them and glued them in place--
 

 
 
Fun stuff!!
 
 
On earlier pictures of the stove you may have noticed a rail on the starboard side of the stove. It was one of three that go around the top of the stove to hang cooking apparatus from. (Actually it should be a single rail with multiple supports, but making three separate ones seemed like it would be easier) My first attempt was just a simple "staple" bend, which wasn't quite right, so I redid that one, and added the others. They look complicated, but it's really not hard.

First the staple bend--
 

 
 
Tested for correct width in the holes I drilled on the stove--
 

 
 
Next the "offset" bend at 90 degrees, one end--
 

 
 
Then the other--
 

 
 
Then this is tested on the stove again--
 

 
 
And if it looks good, trimmed shorter--
 

 
 
And put on the stove--
 

 

 
 
I almost want to leave those rails unpainted, but that's probably wrong.  I also think I may stop the detailing at this point. I'm in danger of getting carried away and making pots and pans. I am still considering whether or not to do the rotisserie--I'm leaning toward not.


The stackpipe will come later, when I am working on the main deck. Since this photo, I have put another coat of paint on. When it's dry, and I blacken those rails around the top, I think that will be it with the stove for now.

 
 
September 12, 2010
 
 
 
This is the start of the rotisserie [changed my mind!]--
 

 
 
Here are the all the pieces after blackening--
 

 
 
The "gears" are sliced from the tapered tip of some throw-away chopsticks--
 

 
 
The stove paint is still drying, so I have to wait to glue the rotisserie on to the stove.
 
 
 
September 15, 2010
 
 
 
My Brodie stove is finished--
 

 

 
 
I like the sheen of the paint--though it will probably dull down as it's not completely dry yet.

Overall I'm pleased with the stove. It's just too bad that when the deck is planked, it will be allmost completely hidden away! At least I have the pictures--
 

 

 

 
 
[Next photo is from a later post, but it sums up the stove chapter.  This is looking through the open lower transom framing, and that's just about the only place you can actually get a view of the stove!]--
 

 
 
Ron

Hello Brian,
Not to be argumentative, but its a bit closed minded to say
"he is very obliging to everyone else on this forum".

I see that as a stretch, as we have 12,116 members and I really doubt he has had contact with every one of MSW's members. I thought long and hard before I posted this as I feared being labeled as that guy that couldn't get along with Jeff at HobbyMills. As this is the General Discussion Forum though, I felt obliged to inform only, as I never quite understood just what happened. I also seemed to be able to order wood from Wayne (3 times so far) and the Lumberyard without incident.

As a matter of fact Brian, I could take what your saying to mean that I'm the only problem in a hub of 12,116, from the way you worded your response using "everyone else". See how easy words can be twisted. But I take no offense to what you said and don't think you intended it to be that way. Let's not forget the fiasco of just a few months ago, where good members now lurk or don't show due to communication issues. We had Admin's and users leaving over nothing but words.

We are a community and must communicate. As a multi-lingual community, that issue becomes even harder.

I'm glad I hear so many great comments about HobbyMills wood, Jeff supports MSW so I'd be stuppid if I didn't, but still don't completely understand exactly what I did. My reason for posting wasn't to destroy but to inform others that not "everyone" has been "very obliged."
I find I prefer a complete view which may include bad with good.
Honestly I was quite disturbed by Jeff's response. I've questioned if I was the problem and have wondered if maybe I am the only person Jeff's refused to sell to. For a new builder it was quite a devastating blow to have every one say "go here" then not get the same happy fuzzy feeling that everyone goes on about. I know it is hard for some to see a critique as anything but a personal attack on someone that they cherish, but this isn't that. I hold no hard feeling towards Jeff, he caused me to go elsewhere and I found new avenues for supplies and made a new friend in Wayne.

I will say that Jeff went above and beyond prior to the issues, we figured out what was needed to complete the kit in complete boxwood, not using the kits basswood laser cut frame sheets. We corresponded for 2 1/2 months and he had already sold many Pinnace replacement wood kits as he was already out of the boxwood kits. I always found it odd that no one else prior to me had asked about the laser cut framing sheets though.

To address your 2nd question, the question wasn't over method of payment, it was over a confusion on how and when payment was to be made. I had planned to mail a check, but the way he made it sound he wanted the check in August and he couldn't give an estimate of delivery time, except November or later for delivery. I questioned why I needed to pay 3 months in advance.
Honestly it never got beyond that question because in my questioning payment and delivery I somehow said something wrong, I guess. I felt as though I'd wasted a lot of his time, like I said we corresponded on the wood for 3 months, figuring out what was to be needed as his Pinnace replacement kit doesn't have the 3" sheets for the frames as they are laser cut. Those I was going to need to add and hand cut, which wasn't a problem for me.

PLEASE EVERYONE, This isn't to pick on Jeff. Everyone has a bad day, most of mine are that way. Its just sad that communication can become such an obstacle and I have always had a funny feeling when wood purchasing is mentioned after this experience. I needed it to be shared. It's kinda like when I was a teacher and asked to write letters of recommendation. I honestly had to tell some they didn't want the letter I'd write and I believe in telling it as it is.
Whose to blame for my issues, fate and communication. Jeff is a busy man, He's under a load keeping builders happy. I was new and didn't know how things worked.

Maybe someone can answer this for me. Is it expected to pay up to 3 month before receiving product from Jeff? this was the question I got no response to. Maybe I expected to much or said to much in my misunderstanding. Its water under the bridge and over as I see it. Like my recent issues with Midwest, which I felt obliged to bring up, this is the same.
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/5727-poor-service-after-the-sale-regarding-midwest-products/

I also wanted to mention that there are other ways to procure scale wood. I would never tell anyone to NOT buy from Jeff. I just always wondered what happened and why he decided that I'd crossed some line, when I didn't know that I had. Sadly I can't say my HobbyMills experience was good. I can say that the wood from Wayne and the LumberYard were everything I needed.

I know this is somewhat off topic but where other then in a scale wood discussion?

I too like your decision to display your gun-ports as you have. If I'm remembering correctly Kevin on his Vicky was doing the same.
So many display war ships with all guns out and in reality ships didn't live a very large percentage of there life in that stance.
I can imagine a warm summer day and the ports being opened to ventilate the lower decks of the ship. Down below must have been a lot nicer with the cross ventilation of opening ports and grating air flow.
 
Although, according to the theories I've read she went down ready to fire salute and due to low ballast, sat high in the water and the roll caused the ports to become water inlets. Center of Mass strikes again, luckily it left her for us to see and research her today.
 
I also like your logic on the weathering as the Goth reconstruction picture you showed has that same look of weathering as you show.
Its good to see the trees in the background of your masterpiece stating to leaf out also, welcome springtime.

August 22, 2010    [some more out of sequence dates now as I group posts on this topic together]
 
 
And now--the ship's stove!
 
Using the tutorial on this site (Making a Ship's Stove by Allan Yedlinsky) as a guide, I'm building this up with pieces of Cherry and Pear--
 

 
 
The little block of Cherry on the left will become the hood that the funnel attaches to--
 

 
 
That's about all for the wood pieces, now I have to scrounge up some card and/or photo paper to continue--
 

 
 
August 23, 2010
 
 
 
The stove is coming along. If the one in the tutorial is 1/48, I am impressed! There's no way I can get that close to scale and such detail!  My paper brackets are too wide, and my lids are a little too small. Still more detail to add, but I think once this is painted black, it will look good--
 

 
 
 
September 6, 2010
 
 
I have worked on the brick hearth, first cutting some spare basswood into 4" wide (in scale) strips, and marking 8" bricks on one strip. For once I didn't have to look something up. Being an architect I know exactly how big a brick is--


 
 
I scored across the strips with a knife, and then separated the strips and filed the joints, also filing along the long edges. Here they are put back together, staggered--
 

 
 
I glued the strips together, and trimmed the ends--
 

 
 
Then I put a first coat of paint on. I will let this dry (it's artist oil paint--so it will take a while) then go back and paint some individual brick variation--
 

 
 
I'm also slowly adding some detail to the stove. Wire handles, starting to add some hinges to the acess doors, etc.--
 

 
 
Just one coat of thinned black paint so far. It actually gives a nice weathered warm look over the wood. The paint doesn't cover the photo paper I used very well--
 

 
 
September 9, 2010
 
 
Nothing here is finished, just placed to get an idea of how everything is going to fit together. The stack for the stove will come up just forward of the beam the stove sits under--
 

 
 
I built the bitts, and put them in their spot. Obviously, they are too high, a hole still needs to be cut in the berthing deck for them to slide down into, and then they'll be the right height--
 

 
 
Not much room in front of the stove!--
 

 
 
 
September 11, 2010
 
 
I finished the bricks, and their frame--
 

 

 
 
Here's how it sits on the deck--
 

 
 
Next I marked the location, drilled some pilot holes, and carefully filed out two holes for the bitts--
 

 
 
The following just shows the dry fitting of the elements I've done so far. Still need to do hatch coamings, mast partners, bowsprit step, main deck support posts (that's as far as I've thought--there might be more)--
 

 

 
 
The stove is still needs to be finished. I'll do that next.
 
 
 
Ron

YIKES!
Surgeries are no fun with Lyme, My last (and 8th) hernia is what pushed me over the edge and into disability. It was wall to wall mesh this time around, I was quadruple herniated and there's not much wall left and the mesh doesn't adhere correctly. It seems that spirocetes love collagen, they wear I as a disguise to hide from the immune system. Tricky spiro-bacteria, I think medicine has them WAY under estimated.
 
The antibiotics they gave me in the hospital reacted with the protocol I was on and the die off nearly killed me. That herx lasted for months and I thought I would die. Beware of the antibiotics as they typically administer them in surgeries. I'm not sure with carpal tunnel, but Tammy would know as that's her field. She says that you should talk to the Dr as they use it in only specific cases usually. She says to also discuss steroids as some Dr's inject steroids and I've had 2 meltdowns from steroids, one leading to meningitis. I don't know if you've experienced any of this but just wanted to pass it on.
I feel for you and understand the anxious mind of neuro-borealis and its neurological effects. I never understood what a panic attack was and couldn't understand a friend that had them, now I wish I still didn't know. It's sad that experience sometimes has to be the ticket the empathy. I'm sure you'll do fine though, carpal tunnels are becoming route anymore. Tammy says they do a lot of them, so if you have any question that she might help calm your nerves, she'd be glad to help.
Plus once its over think how much easier building will be.  
 
You already know that you on my mine and in my prayers. Just keep telling your self its just another hurdle and every experience in life has a lesson that can be learn if your open to that.

I build this model for my eldest son who is studying to become a captain. He particularly choose this ship
 

 

 

 
 
Carving on the head

Ah, the problems we create for ourselves in this joyous game we call ship modeling. 
 
Now I needed to make the chain plates and deadeye straps to go with the deadeyes I made last week.  That was the problem.  I tried to soft solder the wires for the deadeye straps, but as I bent the wire around the deadeye the solder joint broke.  I needed to silver solder.  I had not silver soldered since I was a teenager.  So I dug out a torch, some silver solder and some flux and melted a few inches of wire.  Finally, like riding a bicycle, the memories returned and I soldered the rings.  I bent the wire with the solder spot in the wrong place.  Placed the wire around the deadeyes and fastened them to the chain plates.  The more I looked at them the more I didn’t like them.  The solder spots were harder than the wire and did not bend the same and as I forced them around the deadeyes the deadeyes started to fall apart.  What a mess!  So, as I had told so many others, it was time to start over.
 
I went back to the start and made a new jig to drill the deadeye holes.  Rather than evenly spaced I placed the holes, two on the diameter and one at right angle to them.  I also made them out of harder wood.  This time when I soldered the wire I used less solder.  And when I bent the wires I was more careful as to where the solder spot was.  These were much better.  These I can use.  So I did.  I mounted them with only one pin at this time so they can pivit to the correct angle when I do the rigging.  Then I will put in the second pin.
 
The first two pictures are of the bad parts.
 
Bob
 

Solder spots in the wrong place.
 

You can see the flats on the wires crushing into the deadeyes.
 

Good parts
 

Jig for shaping straps
 

Good assemblies
 

Mounted