themadchemist

Bob, Thank you for your compliment I really appreciate it.
 
Doris, thank you very much for your kindness I continue to draw some of my inspiration from the very high standards that you are setting.
 
Yesterday and today I spent most of the days working on some new shackles, I mentioned the cone cup centre, the first picture shows getting the blanks ready for necking down by machining the 60 degree bevel on both ends.
 

 
With the cone centre set in the tailstock and the blank clamped in the three jaw chuck the first step down is started in the middle of the 3/16 free machining brass blank and the form tool cuts down to the finished diameter in 2 passes the tool is prevented from running into the chuck by an adjustable stop that engages with the carriage.
 

 
The stock is removed from the three jaw and end for ended and re clamped in the three jaw without moving the cone centre, this ensures that the ends are machined to the same length (mostly)
 

 

 
the next picture shows the centre with one of the blanks after the first stage of the machining the outer ends are then shaped with the same form tool to round them off
 

 
After the second stage with the ends rounded
 

 
Next they set up on a heat sink so that both ends could be annealed prior to squashing flat.
 

 
The flattening was done with the Milling machine vice.
 

 
A pin was machined from the 1/8 hex stock threaded 2x56 and then flattened for the finger pad finally drilled and cleaned up with the wire wheel.
 
The bending was done in the same manner as the previous shackles with the round nosed pliers.
 
The next picture shows 3 slightly different sizes hung up ready for service,
 

 
Michael
 
 
 
 

Thank you all for your nice remarks and for all the likes.
 
Today I did do the eye-splice for the topping lift it was harder to do than I expected.
 

 

 
I eneded up gluing the ends of the three strands to create a stiff end to thread under the lay.
 

 
I found that it was a bit easier to have the rope clamped to the bench and then be able to pull on it while doing the threading
 

 
Looped over the boom
 

 

 

 

 
I also sanded the top of the cockpit walls ready to start on the cap.
 

 
The first piece of wood for the boat it was 2 years ago this month that I began building this cutter, this first picture of one of the frames was taken on March 9th 2012,  it seems like it was both yesterday and years ago at the same time.
 
Michael
 

The rudder is cut from Cherry, all other items are cut from Box.
 

 
All items fitted to the decks.

Bedford, I don’t know why I ever doubt the force?  It always comes through. 
 
The planking is finished, the keel and the stern post are in place and the rail around the stern is on.  There’s a lot of cleanup to do but the parts are there.  Next its finish the rail and paint the hull and bulkheads, then the deck goes on.
 
Bob
 

 

 

Today I finished tidying up the work area so that I now can work on either Skipjack or the pilot cutter now that both have their own tables. Rearranging things really does take a while it seems getting some of the model wood out of boxes and onto some additional shelving  makes it so much easier to work.
 

 

 
That done I was able to get the final gluing sorted for the new walls of the cockpit when it is good and set I will work on the top rail. Walter thought it was about time.
 

 

 
The gaff was re-threaded with some of the new rope, a fiddly job, and as I was working I kept thinking about the incredible amount of rigging on Nils' Clipper.
 
Then time to get the boom finished after some final shaping of the jaws, the holes were drilled for the strength bolts and for the slot to accommodate the plate for attaching the tack of the mainsail and the down-haul. because of the length I needed to add a support.
 

 
Once the holes were drilled I began gluing on the leather.
 

 
Then the leather was cut to allow for the wrapping.
 

 

 
after folding down the tabs and the final shaping the jaws end was given a liberal coating of Teak oil.
 

 
Left to right the new lines are the Gaff throat up-haul, peak halliard, jib shroud, gaff throat down-haul. Next I need to make the support for the boom on the mast.
 
Michael
 
 

Thank you to everyone for your kind thoughts and prayers for my mom. I am hanging in there, and her spirits are still good. She meets with the oncologist tomorrow, so we will be better armed with information and a treatment plan then. 
On the other front, things are just rolling along, I am looking forward to Spring break next week and intend to devote a large amount of my free time to creating some sawdust!!
I have been doing a bit each chance I get, so the picture updates are now here
I put the balsa filler blocks in, this time I opted to fill in the majority of the hull with them, notching out the area where the gun port sill will go. I felt this would help add stability.
 


 
Got the below deck section planked

 
I think I did a fair job of getting the bulkheads square and lined up correctly with the templates, only the final two bulkheads at the bow do not line up, and from everyone's accounts that is the correct way to do them.

 
 
Last night I placed my temporary battens on both sides to mark out where those gun port sills will ride. this is where my first mistake was on the last go around. Although I had the 2 battens even and following a natural curve, I had not created the proper curve needed, so when I had completed my upper planking I found at the stern my top plank sat almost 3/8 of an inch below where it was intended. This of course threw off the wales and the rest of the planking. I believe I have them in the proper position this time.

 
Tonight I am working on the gun port sills, and tomorrow plan to get the lintels in place, hopefully more time for pictures then.

Sphinx from Alex

Amerigo Vespucci from Schiffebastler

Real de France

Friesland by Dieter

Lady Nelson by Lady Hamilton

Royal Sovereign from AVbiker

Wappen von Hamburg

SMS Trinkstein

As time goes by ...

Prince

America from Werner - I like it, its a plastic kit :-)
Cardboard models

 
What a day!!!

For those, who have access, find plenty-plenty-plenty more pictures at:
http://www.segelschiffsmodellbau.com/t2644f93-RE-Forumstreffen-Sued-Das-Happening.html
 
Cheers, Daniel

Just came back - and can you believe it ?!?
 
My small plastic-flower-pot standing in the middle of all those exquisite first class modells ?!?
 
Going bananas!
 
Just some teaser:
 

Dockyard british 74 Tarjack

Wappen von Edam/Pollux

Chebeque from Woodpecker

Thetis from Robbi

Caroline from Tarjack

La Creole archjofo

Bonne Homme Richard from Norbert und Bellona from Peter

Queen Charlotte from Achilles 

To finish the support columns, I pressed it against a piece of wood, so they were more easy to handle. Placing it on a thin acrylic and using a sanding block, one can achieve very accurate angles.
 

 
The black primer and developing the tendril, first the main body, the the blossoms. As I have more control with normal paint than with the metallic paints, I like to put a layer of ochre underneath. 
 

 
Then some Humbrol gold and same Warcraft gold, to accentuate with some reddish shines, plus a tad of black ink where necessary.
 
In the meantime I refined the port, giving it a step like the gun ports to give a stop for the lids.
 

 
Then gave the roof a aluminum foil from Hasegawa, splashed a mixture of ink, white and detergent onto it ...
 

 
... and here we are ...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
OK, the guys from the tin roof have to come for some touch ups, but otherwise I am quite happy :-)
 
Cheers, Daniel

thanks Adam.......I actually did the rails separate,  and put them on after.  it worked out better that way  {masking can be a real pain} 
       thanks for the good word !
 
thanks Lawrence.....been a bit of a break though......our furnace decided to crap out {a s-l-o-w, agonizing death}.    we had a new one installed today........out with the oil and in with the Natural gas.  I hope it saves me money!  thanks for the good word! 
 
thanks Frank.......there's a fine line between scratch and bash.....but I am having to scratch out a few parts.  the crow's nests seemed to be the biggest problem.....a lot of the parts were missing in the kit.   the main mast nest gave me some trouble, but I think I have it sorted out pretty well.  now that the heat is back on....I assembled the fore and main mast.  the second steps are just dry fitted at the moment,  but I did that after I took these pictures.  I hope to have more up soon.  I'm not sure if I'm up to snuff with some of the other folks here,  I favor chalking it up to  "creative modeling" 
 

 
I hope no one get nose bleeds easily........we're going to up
 

 

 
here is what the frame work under the nests looks like
 

 
thanks for the good word Frank!   I'm still playing catch up here on the site.........I hope to see your fine build in the list! 

I also need to get a move-on with the exterior hull work.   I'm just going to go with the best looking scheme and be done with it     the way I did the railings,  will make it hard to follow the flow of the lines,  but I will try to make it work.   the first aspect was with the railings themselves.....the red and white striping.  I took a bunch of thin mahogany......in different widths,  and painted them white.   I sorta goofed here when I masked off for the red........I should have cut the tape down and cut down on the length of the dashes.
 

 
yea........I used that crappy blue stuff!   it didn't come out as good as I wanted it to......but it is salvageable,  so I guess it's not a total loss.   just as well.......I don't have much extra stripping left.
 

 

 
I tried a piece of it on the model.......touched up,  it will look better 
 

I'm kinda wondering,  if this is also to denote port and starboard......something I've never seen before.
 
 
anyway......................................I mentioned the whittling I was doing on the masts.  I needed to get the top capping down to the size that will fit into the nests.  so, I cut into the mast with my miter box and saw,  and cut away the excess....later sanded smooth.
 

 
now,  I had mentioned perhaps making a new main mast nest,  but I chose to repair the original one,  only because it has the pre drilled holes.
 

 
later, I chose to rip off all of the upper railing and start over,  adjusting the post in the area I started from,  and the redo.   I assembled the framework that the nests will be located on.
 

 
the fore mast nest was assembled to the mast......since that one turned out OK.
 

 

 
after the railing was finished on the main mast nest.....there was still an area on it that wasn't right.  I am making the change yet again.
 

 
while I was working on that,  I continued on other aspects,  between drying times.   the capstan is an assembly,  consisting of a  bunch of little pieces....most of them are missing.   so I opted to use the parts that the nests would have been made up with.   after making up a scratch base ring for the supplied capstan post,  the railing parts were cemented around the base.
 

 
then,  the bow spirit was assembled.  it is not trimmed to size yet.
 

 
I had some smaller dowel to use,  instead of the supplied dowel for the capstan bars.   I added some brass banding to spruce it up a bit more.
 

 
I did the same for the pump,  and stained other parts that can be readily assembled onto the ship.  I'll lightly stain them with the mahogany stain to match them up with the rest of the ship.
 

 
 
 
 

you gotta use a screw driver to keep the tab in............  I see you don't drive the dish washer too much....huh?   I told the admiral,  she better look around for a newer model......this one is getting old! 
 
 
I did some sanding on the main mast crow's nest...it looks OK.......but it still looks a bit off.
 

 
I figured that I would make the fore mast nest......if it comes out any better,  I try to do something with the other one.
 

 
while this was drying,  I dolled up the pump a little.
 

 
the first set of railings are on
 

 
then the top railings went on.   of course I used the same method as the other one,  so I added a little putty on the joints.
 

 

 
the fore mast nest looks a bit off too.........it's going to be close
 

 
now that the fore mast nest has been sanded........yea,  it's a little off too.    it looks better than the main mast nest though.   not sure if i want to mess with the main mast nest and risk botching it up.......I'll have to think about it.
 

 

now.......for the main update.   I began to assemble the pump
 

 
then I started to paint some of the decoration parts.   I need to do some painting........before I do though,  I want to look around some more,  for more pictures.   but,  I think I'm only going to find the more  'up to date'  version of this ship.
 

 
there are to be a couple of Sampson posts for the bow
 

 
these are the parts that I have for the crow's nests......I'm missing quite a few of the hoops
 

 
so,  instead of using these parts,  and having them look  'off',  I am going to make the fore and main nests from scratch.   I began with the posts.
 

 

 
this is the main mast nest........I soaked some strip stock to make the lower railings
 

 

 
the upper railing is going to be a bit wider.   it will be sanded down after the nest is assembled,  to give it a more rounded look to it.
 

 

 
I will use a little filler to close up the gaps....then,  of course a little sanding to round it up and even out the appearance.   it looks a little out of round at the moment.......I did it by eye  .
 

 

 
still more to do on it......as well as assemble the fore nest.   I may have to paint......I fear many glue blotches.........perhaps I can match the color.

thank you Lawrence.   yes,  there are some thing I need to change......the railings were one of them.  then I have missing parts,  so I'm sure this will lead into more.   thanks for the good word
 
yes Mobbsie........I can see,  your waiting patiently.........that's It!!   no more crossing the pond for you and Sjors :D   he's teaching you bad things! :D
 
 
as promised,  here are the pictures of the masting,  and the problem that I need to deal with.
 

 
I feel there is too much rake  with the Mizzen mast.   with it having this much rake,  it upsets the canopy.
 

 
I haven't measured it,  but it looks to me,  to be about 1/8 of an inch.   I think that these two  'holes'  are too close together.   the mast does have a collar......so it may help me when I make the adjustment.  I can even divide the amount of adjustment between the lower aft deck and the main deck holes,  cutting down the amount change,  and still achieve what I need to do.   I'll see when I get to this point.

I did find a small problem though......I put the masts in place,  and found that the Mizzen mast interferes with the canopy.   the holes for it give it too much rake.   I can do a couple of things here.....since the holes for either of them are already punched out.....I either need to alter the axis of the Mizzen mast,  or notch out the canopy.   as it is,  I feel there is too much rake on the mast.
 
as I think up a way to do this.....I settled on doing something else for the moment.  the lantern for the stern is on this page,  so I played with this.   the lantern is made up of about six parts.....some of these parts are wood.   you have the brass rod,  brass bottom cap........then there is a wood base for the clear plastic lense part to sit on.  two additional wood parts sit on the top,  sandwiching the plastic piece in.  I couldn't figure out or find the top piece,  so I used a perrel bead.....worked just as well 
 

 
I should have rounded off the bottom piece,  but I didn't.........but I did do it to the two upper pieces.  I painted these parts gold.
 

 
these pieces were glued together and then painted as a whole.....gold.
 

 
after the perrel was pushed on there,  the end of the rod was snipped off and filed flat.....it too was painted.
 

I was looking in the instructions Mobbsie,  and what do you know........I have crow's feet too!   must be from these gosh-darn boot I always wear          no, but really...... I need to do them too......it's all good!
 
to continue with the build.......I got that canopy finished and stained.
 

 

 
I must have gotten some glue on the outside......I had a couple of faint blotches,  so I touched it up.  I sanded it before I did the touch-up......I kinda liked the way it looked.....I might do a re sand to lighten it up again.
 
more was done to the holds,  bordering around them with mahogany,  and then staining them later.
 

 
the trailing board frames were cemented in place......darned instructions don't show you where to put them exactly......my best guestimate.   I also need to take that piece out I put back in.......I have this bit of ornamentation to put in it's place.
 

 

 
to continue with the forward hold,  the cradle parts that holds the life boat were cemented in place.  I should have waited and stained it as a whole.
 

 

 
I got this idea from Peter Visser {thanks Peter}......since this kit does not have cutouts for gun ports and windows.....I find the need to improvise.  thanks to you,  I think I can pull off the windows.  luckily,  I'm glad I didn't throw away all my old floppy discs
 

 

 
both holds are finished now......just about ready to go
 

 
I did a dry fit of the parts so far........
 

 
 

the tinkering began with the holds.........each one is made up of two pieces,  glued together.
 

 
the fife racks are to be made from 5 x 5 mm square stock.  they need to be slotted to receive the pin rails
 

 
then I toyed around with the framework for the trailing boards
 

 
the pin rails were cemented to the posts at this time,  as were the bases for them
 

 
this elongated knee at the stern had to be reworked a little......it locks into the kit designed cap rails.  since I changed how the cap rails looked,  the slot was filled in and sanded to smooth it out.  the holder for the flag staff was also cemented in place.
 

 
the holes for the lift pulley assemblies were drilled into the fife racks.  the bases were later beveled and these, and the trailing board frames were stained.
 

 

 
I need to go over them with the mahogany stain to give them the reddish hue,  like I did with everything else,  so far.   there is a small canopy that is located over the opening in the first aft level.   to make it easier to assemble,  I gave it a bit of framework.   I knew about that small chunk that got taken out of the outer frame......and I was going to face it towards the inside,  but I wasn't watching when I did it.
 

 
the holds are located in there areas on the deck......the life boat will be located on the first hold.   I haven't gotten to that point yet.
 

 
but I began to work on the holds....and planking the canopy.......leaving off at this point
 

 
at this point........I wanted to do some painting.   the sides of the fore deck and the sides of the aft deck need painting before the rest of the rails are installed.   I was looking at the pictures that I have,  some of the builds that are here,  and what I have for decorations.........and it has me a bit befuddled.
 
I see that there are quite a few discrepancies between kit manufacturers.   some show four gun port lids at the stern........the pictures that I have show two gun port lids and a larger door in the upper transom, with an entirely different decoration arrangement.  there are other aspects that vary.......so I've decided what I am going to do.   I'm going to look at everything,  and meet them all half way.........since it IS the Half Moon.     I do have one saving grace........Anja was kind enough to send me some pictures and diagrams.......I'll have a peek at them as well.   another update soon     thanks for looking in 

Nothing too exciting, just making frames...
 
 

Thanks for the comments Dee_Dee,  the pic may be a bit misleading, as it just shows the ribs. Here is a picture with "skin" on (including transom)

 
 
The camber may also look a bit exaggerated w/out planking on the sides, although my personal theory is it was a bit more than 2" over the 7' beam.  One of the things that led me to start making parts was that I felt that the stock kit didn't provide adequate camber.  In all truth, I won't really know until I have parts put together, so I did make the ribs a bit thick on top to give me room to knock the camber radius down if I need to.  I am REALLY looking forward to seeing what you found out about the fish wells, as I have drawn them up in CAD several times now and I'm still not really happy with what I've come up with.
 
In other news, even though I have had little time to work on the boat, I reached the "If I don't glue something together I'm gonna go nuts" stage, so here's a section of the bow made from actual bits of wood:




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
It is only "rough-faired" at the moment, as I want to leave myself room to fair as the rest of the hull takes shape.

Getting the ribs sorted...

Well, I nearly finished the main mast.   The plans indicate the hardware was either painted white or galvanized.  I opted for galvanized on the masts various other topside items.  I'm following a theory here that on the ships I have seen the hardware was not specially painted to show.  Rather, if painted it was painted the same color (and probably same paint) as surrounding areas.
 
For the top of the main top mast, I decided against trying to make a brass strip look right, so I just twisted some wire and soldered it up. 
 
For the area of abrasion around the boom rest I used the dull side of aluminum foil.
 
The last thing to do is the spring wire loop and the small ring.  Then on to the foremast where I suppose most things will be done the same.
 

Hello, is there anybody out there......
 
I too have been missed your presence Ferit, hoping everything is well.

Hello, is there anybody out there......
 
I too have been missed your presence Ferit, hoping everything is well.

Hey Robbyn
I missed your restart but saw you post today.
 
I am very saddened to see your news about your mother, It's a sad fact of life that most of us will be forced to see our parents' end. My own mother is in very bad health and your words sum it up well, We are never ready to give them up.
I'm glad to hear of her attitude and mind set and pray for her to have the strength needed for the struggle ahead. Attitude is everything and it can have such a great effect on the experience of trauma, no matter the outcome, patient and caregiver. Sometimes these wake up calls force us to relook at just how important our families are and it teaches us to cherish each moment more closely. You all will be in my thoughts, just as so many are. This is exactly why MSW is a community. The ships we build and share are representations of a real thing, while the friendships we share are the real thing.
 
As a chemist, I prefer to see the glass completely full, 1/2 with water, 1/2 with air
Be Well, my friend.