HMB Endeavour by ca.shipwright - Corel - 1:60

[ca.shipwright]

Greetings again,

 

A lot of progress to report since the last post. I have finished the hull with the exception of the 3 large port covers (3 each P&S).

All of the deck furniture, pin rails, gangway stairs, rubbing boards, light and air port covers have all been installed. The paint has been tidied up. This appears to be an ongoing project. A coat of  Wipe on Poly applied to everything above the wales.

 

I am thinking about stringing all of the chain plate parts on a thin line and spray painting them with Model Master flat black aerosol. I don't know how this will work for the britainia metal. Any ideas would be welcome.

 

It was a very good week. I even figured out how to turn the pictures right side up- no more having to stand on your head.

 

Photos to follow

 

Looks like I have some more tidying up to do.

 

Regards

[donrobinson]

She is looking real good, that blue really stands out. Very nice

[EJ_L]

Thanks for flipping the pictures, I was starting to get a blood rush to my head from being upside down.

 

Seriously though great job. The colors on her are great. Everything is nice, crisp and clean.

[ca.shipwright]

Thanks Don and EJ

Don the blue is the third iteration. The other 2 had too much purple. It's amazing what $1.99 will get you in the craft store.

 

Regards

[ca.shipwright]

Folks an observation:

 

We always seem to find a few parts missing from the kits we buy. When we find them depends on where in the construction process they are needed. Then we call and wait for the part to arrive. BTW Model Expo is just awesome in filling replacement orders for missing, lost, or broken parts for their kits ( no commercial interest.............).

 

This being said. How many of us have the discipline to inventory a new kit from the enclosed parts list before beginning to build. Or, for that matter, read the instructions start to finish to see how construction progresses.

 

I know I would save myself an awesome amount of time and reduce my frustration level significantly if I would only follow this simple dictum.

 

Maybe next time for the Syren.

 

Regards

[ca.shipwright]

Two items that I have found useful.

1st is a rollerball paper cutter. It will cut strips down to 1 mm. The scale is too far away from the blade, so I put on a fence using masking tape. Worked like a charm.

The second item is an x-y table that mounted on my Dremel Drill press. Works great for drilling a straight series of holes.

Inexpensive. About $40 from eBay in China.

 

Photos attached

Edited August 23, 2016 by ca.shipwright

[Mindi]

Looks awesome

[EJ_L]

An xy table is high up on my list of future buys. I have access to a milling machine but as it is across town at my wife's grandfather's place, it is not very convenient and there are a lot of parts I would like to start custom building myself. I have a nice drill press so all I really need is the xy table and I would be set for a lot of the stuff I would like to do.

[ca.shipwright]

E J

Check this out on eBay:

Mini Precision Multi Function Milling Machine x-y axis Coordinate Table

Seller is hank xu

$40 includes shipping I think

[DaveRow]

Hi Michael,

Found the "Mini Precision Multi Function Milling Machine x-y axis Coordinate Table" on EBay.

Ordered one, AU$67 from Hong Kong.

 

 

Thanks for info.

Dave R

Edited September 6, 2016 by DaveRow

[ca.shipwright]

Another update

 

Finished building the trestle trees, tops and spreaders this week. All that remains is to sand them and drill the appropriate holes. This was a much bigger job than I thought it would be. The battens almost drove be nuts. I guess this portends that the rest of the build, i.e. masting and rigging and armaments will be very challenging to say the least.

 

I wish my skills were better, but this is a learning experience and when it's done the small defects should be barely noticeable. Flat black paint is a wonderful enhancer.

 

Regards

Edited September 14, 2016 by ca.shipwright

[RGL]

Just make sure your topmasts and top gallant masts will fit into those battens now otherwise it will be a nightmare later

[ca.shipwright]

I do believe the nightmares have started, In looking at the pictures of the tops after I posted them, I noticed 2 different types of battens. Do over again or use as is? This irritates me because I don't see how this happed. But, it is not a game breaker for  me.

 

Regards

[EJ_L]

That is always frustrating when you notice something wrong after you are done building and even worse when you shared it. I always try to take a little time and think about is this something that will bother me in the long run or not. If not then that is easy and I move on. However, if it is a mess up that is going to to annoy me every time I look at the ship then it has to be rebuilt. Never fun to lose time and more importantly material but, I would hate to have a great model completed with something on it that really bothers me and know that I could have fixed it. 

 

Model ships always have mistakes somewhere. It comes down to which mistakes can the builder accept and live with. Good luck choosing but I will say that both types look excellent!

[ca.shipwright]

Thanks E J for your words of support. You feel as I do about this subject.

 

Now for a update on the photos:

 

Went to the shop this AM mumbling to myself and looked at the tops again and low and behold there was no mistake. They were all made with the same sized stock for the battens. Now for sure I really think I am loosing my mind. Back to the pictures and it looks like there was a focus difference between the shots. Photography is definitely not my strong suit. All's well that ends well.

 

Greg Lester: the nightmare is here. Do you have a URL for you build? I am having trouble locating it.

 

Regards,

[RGL]

In my signature block

[ca.shipwright]

Thanks Greg- I got it and I see what you are talking about with the  upper mast tressel trees

[RGL]

It's gets very busy up there when the rigging begins, making up a little jig with two pins, then three layers of battens will help you get them uniform is shape and size, and helps with alignment and getting those little bends at the end. I always make an extra for the inevitable breakage or loss.

[ca.shipwright]

Hi Greg,

Duplicating parts is always difficult unless you have a CNC machine. What I do is rough out the parts. Paste a copy of the part from the plans in the correct scale, gang them together, and use a 6 inch disc sander from Jim Byrnes with fine sand paper and grind to shape them. Works great for convex curves and straights. Concave cuts are more challenging. I grind as much as I can using the edge of the sanding wheel and finish by hand. If I wasn't so lazy, I would rig up a drum sander on my drill press and use that for the concave curves.

 

To Endeavour tops:

All the bottom mast tops rest on the cheeks. The top mast tops appear to rest on the hounds of the top masts. I had to take the hounds off the topgallant masts to get them through tops. Also had to pair down the foot of the top gallants to fit the top. I hope this is correct.

 

Regards

 

[RGL]

Haha, the only power tool I can use is my Dremel and my lawn mower!

[ca.shipwright]

Greetings,

And now the progress slows. I am now building the masts and tops. This is more difficult than I thought it would be. Had several do-overs to deal with. Hopefully, it will all fit together when all the parts are done. I will get some pictures over the weekend.

 

Regards to all

[ca.shipwright]

Greetings Again.

 

I can't believe that it's been 54 weeks since I started Endeavour and first posted in this log. Time really flies when you are having fun.

 

I reached what I consider to be a milestone on the build. All of the masts, spars and tops, mast caps and bow spirt have been fabricated.

I dry fitted all of the components and they seem to fit fairly well. Some, well maybe more than some, touch up will be required. Then its on to mounting the eye bolts and all the rest of the goodies that should be done before stepping the masts. Finally the painting will be completed. I won't admit to how many dowels it took to get this far.

 

I tried to do the hexagonal center for the main yards on a piece of scrap. This did not go well and I have decided to omit this. I can see where starting with square stock for the spars is definately the way to go. Next time.

 

We'll take a break. Clean up the shop. And, maybe work on my solid hull Sultana for a bit.

 

Regards

 

 

Photos to follow

Edited October 29, 2016 by ca.shipwright

[ca.shipwright]

Greetings,

 

Finally something to write about. Completed all the mast components, installed the deadeyes on the tops and rigged the blocks on the top bottoms.

 

I made the deadeyes using Dave Rowe's method. It never ceases to amaze me how the first one of anything always takes forever and last one takes no time at all. It shows what repetition can do.  Now for some final clean up, finish painting the black on the masts and start the rope work.

 

I will install all rigging I can on each component before assembling the masts and yards.

 

I made the rigging stations that someone was kind enough to post. Works very well. I never realized how much better the helping hand work when they are screwed down. Also, covering the alligator clip ends with some tacky tubing really helps. The blocks no longer jump out of the clips nor does any work piece get marred.

 

I have a big decision to make- to serve or not to serve that is the question. Since this is not going to be a historically correct model as I have made to many mistakes/changes running back and forth between the Corel plans and the AOS and back again this is a huge lesson learned. I wonder if the effort will be worth it.

 

If I do decide to serve, I will try to make an add-on to the rigging station. This should not require too much engineering. And I am a jig lover.

 

Any way, here are some photos.

 

To those in the US, Happy Thanksgiving. To those Down Under and the Kiwis, hoist a pint and celebrate something.

 

Regards

[ca.shipwright]

Greetings,

 

I have started the rigging and it has taken the fingers a while to remember how to handle the threads. Strangely enough I remembered how to seize a block to a line and  a block to something else like a yard or mast or eyebolt.

 

This is really going to take a long time; maybe "Two years before the mast."

 

I'll post some pictures after I have completed some more work.

 

Regards

[6ohiocav]

Greetings Mike,

 

Welcome to the world of rope maizes and protruding spars. Your ship looks awesome, and as you hang your rigging, it is going to look better and better.

 

As for serving, I opted to serve the entire main and preventer stays (the largest diametered rigging in all ships). I served the entire forward lower shroud line - that being the one that the course yard might rub against. I served all of the throat collars (2 inches) of the remaining lower shroud lines (where it winds around the mast). That was it.  Just a suggestion.

 

That decision was based on some research but mostly from suggestions lifted from other build logs. I may have spent as much time trying to decide what to serve as I did serving the lines.

 

Since I am only a bit ahead on this same journey, together I think we can conquer all of the hurdles that rigging a 19th century sailing vessel will create. 

[BANYAN]

Go on Mike; serve them.  If you have taken the time and effort to get it historically correct so far, you might as well get the rigging right to?  It's not that hard once you get your jig/server up and running .  You will get much more satisfaction from the fact you know it is correct.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[ca.shipwright]

Pat,

That is the conundrum. The model is no longer historically correct. I bounced back and forth between the Corel plans and the AOS. This was a huge mistake and not feasible to correct. So, now I have a ship model "representative" of the Cook voyage era. Needless to say, it has irritated me to no end. Now  I pick and choose which details I will incorporate on this build. She still looks nice and since I am a long way from Down Under, I am going to but the Endeavour name on her. I don't think anyone in my area will know the difference and I know you all will forgive my impertenence..

 

Spent today, the whole day, rigging the steering gear. Had it all in hand and then two blocks failed on the tiller with the last tightening. As Scarlett O'Hara said  'Tomorrow is another day."

 

Regards and thank for all your kind words and advice.

 

 

[ca.shipwright]

Greetings,

It's hard to believe it has been a little over a month since my last update.Things are going slowly now that we are in the detail work of masting and rigging. Most of the deck work has been done.

 

First, I am making my own rope. I gave up on trying to find a source for linen thread in the various diameters that I need after spending hours on the internet and getting no responses from several European companies. I an using crocheting thread in the sized 5, 8, and 10 for the standing rigging. Making 3-strand rope out of the 5 gives a good fore stay and serves nicely. The 8 gives a good shroud. The 10 is for seizing. I use the 8 for lashing between hearts.

 

I know the difference between serving and worming. In the AOS, it shows the foremost shroud wormed. Which would be correct? It looks like worming at this scale would be extremely difficult if not impossible. I am serving the fore most and aft most on each set of shrouds. The interior shrouds will be left plain. I am having a lot of problems getting the seizing to slide on the served rope. Sliding opens one end of the serving and compresses the other. I don't know what to do here. Maybe painting the served shroud with dilute white glue which I use on all seizings would set the serving allowing the seizing to slide. Any ideas would be appreciated. I am planning to use the clove hitch for the ratlines in the 10 thread size

 

I have stepped the masts and the bowspirt and installed the foremast stays and partially rigged the bowspirt. I assembled the canon and placed them on the main deck. The barrels will have to remain in the elevated position. It appears that my bulworks are too high or my deck is too low. Either way this will have to do as the fix would entail a major rebuild. I'm good with this. I am going to rig the canon with the outhall lines and breach ropes. The train tackle will not be done. I think it will look too crowded. I am using Chuck Pissaro's 2 and 3 mm hooks. They are fantastic. I also used the hooks for the rudder cable on the quarterdeck.

 

Two questions about the mainmast forestay. It looks like it splits and goes p & s around the foremast- a loop, joins back to a single line. Is this correct? And, I can't identify where it terminates at the bow.

 

The bompers are giving me fits. I have made them twice and can't seem to get them to work. I will get them right eventually. I am also concurrently working on the yard foot ropes and other attachments to break the monotony of repeating tasks.

 

I have had some places where due to lack of space, or the order of assembly, seizing is not possible. In these cases I have resorted to my Boy Scout training and use two half hitches which slip down and then lock tight.

 

I have a couple of pictures attached. Sorry, I can't get them to rotate.

 

Regards,

[BANYAN]

Slow but steady will get you there  Coming along very nicely.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[DaveRow]

Mike,

 

Your question   "Two questions about the mainmast forestay. It looks like it splits and goes p & s around the foremast- a loop, joins back to a single line. Is this correct? And, I can't identify where it terminates at the bow."

 

I have only looked at this a while ago, and may be wrong. Ref > AoTS Page 95.

Only the Foremast have "fore" stays.

Do you mean the Main Preventer stay and Main stay ?  I believe so.

 

Both are separate stays. Each at top looped around mast joined with a mouse. AoTS Page 99.

The bottom connections - AoTS Page 99.

Main Preventer stay loops "collar" '15' around the foremast.

Main Stay passes the foremast(looks like on starboard) and fixes to ? AoTS shows a eyelet on the deck and Replica has it under the Bowsprit.

 

These two pictures are from Replica:

 

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

Dave R