HMS Blandford by hamilton - FINISHED - from Corel HMS Greyhound - 1:100

[hamilton]

So I think I'm reaching a stage in the build where I have a lot of questions....any and all guidance will be appreciated, as always!

 

1. Would any molding that is interrupted by a gun port be continued on the gunport lid? I'm guessing yes....?

 

2. On the open gun ports aft, I would like to include the line that holds the gunport lid open (sorry for not knowing the proper name!) - I've seen these on several builds (including Ferit's Berlin), but I don't know how they are tied off inboard....? Any ideas?

 

3. The head rails are a bit of a daunting and baffling bit of modelling....but one part that particularly confuses me is the order of things. I'm tempted to make at least a dummy bowsprit to fit while I'm making the head rails - mostly because I will need to arrange the beakhead grating around it....but is this the usual (or an advisable) order of things? I'm going to make templates of the individual rails out of card stock and then cut them out of basswood sheets and then carve and sand them down to shape....this will be quite painstaking and no doubt frustrating, but....but the head timbers are also a bit mystifying - on some builds it seems that they are timbers made out of 2mm or 3mm square stock and fit between the rails. On other builds, it seems that they are wider pieces that butt against the stem and support the beakhead grating....I'm not exactly sure how to approach this - making the rails so that they also act as supports for the grating seems like a good idea from a structural persective, but I'm not sure if this is how I should go about it. I know this is a complex part of any build, and I imagine it's a difficult thing to explain. But any tips here would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks again all - I'll be starting on the cannon rigging tonight, so hopefully I'll have some photos to post by tomorrow. Bye for now

hamilton

[mtaylor]

Hamilton,

 

1)  Generally speaking...yes.

 

2)  The line feeds inboard through a hole lined with either lead or leather (depending...) and then (depending on the size and weight of the lid) may go to a set of blocks or just to a cleat.

 

3)  It's my impression that the timbers rest or are attached to the stem.  You might ask this in the Building, Framing, Planking and plating a ships hull and deck area. 

[hamilton]

Thanks Mark - very helpful - I'll seek out info on the head rails in the other forum.

 

In the mean time, here's a brief update on the cannon rigging. I managed to get the breaching lines done on the 6 cannons aft. The aftmost cannon is only attached to the hull on the forward side, both because the aft side cannot be seen and because it would simply have been too tough to get back there.  

 

Here are the photos.

hamilton

 

 

 

 

 

[Ferit]

Nice details at this 1:100 scale...

[Ferit]

And I hope that it may be helpful for what Mark had mentioned if I have understood correctly...

[hamilton]

Very helpful, Ferit! Thanks a lot - looks like I'll be adding some cleats! I'll have to scratch build these since the ones that came with the kit are way out of scale for that particular part - and at 1:100, I think I'll just add a simple rope rather than the tackle, which (as with the guns) will simply be way too tricky. Bye for now

hamilton

[Ferit]

You are right about fixing some cleats, after the scale even a block of 2mm means 20 cm... Too big for the rope of a lid, I think...

And I thought to fix the cleat (in my build it is a rounded pin (?)) aside the port opening, not at top middle to avoid the drooping rope obstruct the opening... That was my decision... It may be wrong...

Edited August 6, 2013 by ashiponthehorizon

[hamilton]

Hi Ferit - yes they will be small indeed if I keep to scale - however, I may have to deviate....depending on what is possible for my fingers to do. I'll look through your log to see if I can't gain some inspiration and ideas

hamilton

[mobbsie]

Hi Hamilton,

 

Boy you know how to make life hard for yourself, you've given yourself quite a task there.

 

Just of the top of my head would it be possible to use 5 amp fuse wire, it's very fine and you could tie the loop which would stay open then pass it through the hole onto your pin cleat, just a thought.

 

mobbsie

[hamilton]

Thanks Mobbsie - I have some left over wire from another kit that is quite thin and might do the trick...the problem is that it would be the wrong colour....I may use sewing thread - I'll see how it looks anyway. And speaking of making it hard for myself - aren't you building the Agamemnon? Looks pretty hard to me!! Way more guns than I've had to deal with....

hamilton

[mobbsie]

Just a big difference in the scale, at 1/64 the guns are much bigger and easier to work on.

 

The amount of detail you are adding takes real skill which you seem to have in abundance, be very proud of what you are achieving.

 

I look forward to further updates my friend even though I tend to look from a distance.

 

mobbsie

[hamilton]

Thanks a lot for the words of encouragement Mobbsie! Much appreciated as usual!

 

OK - time for another update. The cannon rigging continues, but I've decided to break it up a bit by completing some other parts of the build at the same time - namely, the ship's wheel, the capstan, the main jeer & topsail sheet bitts (the latter fitted with gallows) and the forward gallows (positioned just forward of the forward hatches and not yet installed).

 

The forward gallows are not included in the Corel kit nor do they appear in Goodwin's drawings. They do, however, show up in a photo of a model in Goodwin's book, and I've used that photo as support for the decision to install these gallows. In any case, I need them as forward support for the spare masts that act as a cradle for the ship's boat (about which I asked an extremely stupid question in another area of this forum). So there it is....

 

All the parts were scratch built with the exception of the ship's wheel itself, which I did not even try to attempt. The supports for the wheel that were included in the kit were these spindly metal pieces - they looked like metal pillars that had been repurposes as a ship's wheel. I derived the design for the ones I built from Goodwin.

 

The capstan was a lot of fun to make, and even though it did not turn out perfect, I'm more or less happy with the results. I could have made it again, but I feel pressure to move along with the build - I may have mentioned earlier that we're expecting another child in late November, so once that happens, there will be precious little time for modelling - and lots of time for bouncing the little person on my knee and teaching our son how to change diapers!

 

Now the photos

hamilton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 10, 2013 by hamilton

[Ferit]

Fantastico!... Impressionante!... Gusto!...

[Blue Ensign]

Like the pics hamilton, she's looking very good;

 

Nice bit of scratch building, an achievement at only 1:100 scale.

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

[aliluke]

Good work Hamilton. Very good work. Fantastico is the right word.

 

Cheers

Alistair

[realworkingsailor]

I have to agree with the impressive assessments.... You're doing to amazing things with this kit (although you're almost to the point where the term "kit" could be used loosely)

 

Andy

[augie]

The comment from BE, my #1 ultimate 'kit-basher', says it all

[hamilton]

Thanks all! I appreciate these words of encouragement greatly!

 

Andy - perhaps it is making less sense to call this a kit - of all the kit-supplied cast parts, I've only used the ship's wheel - all the others I've tossed into a drawer which is kind of like a graveyard of unused metal parts from various kits....Still, the bones of it are the Corel kit - and my scratch-building exercises are really only a derivative of this kit's limitations - especially where they have not entirely worked (as with the open bulwarks and rails).....Taking a dive into real scratch building will require a dedicated workspace which I do not have and a lot of new tools (which the admiral would welcome if I turned them to home improvement projects but which would be looked at with loathing if I was just using them for modelling!). In the meantime, I'm contemplating the Echo cross-section from Admiralty models as an intro to scratch-building.....perhaps followed by the Lumberyard Hannah....but that is for the far future - at least 3 years out!

 

Alistair - I tried a few experiments with the scans you sent me of the ship's decorations....I was just using regular printer paper, shrunk down from 1:64 scale to 1:100 but at this scale the paper ripped with even the sharpest blade....I will have another go with heavier stock - this may work (I hope), but if not I will have to call the experimentation off.....one more stab at it and we'll see how it goes....

hamilton

[mtaylor]

Hamilton,

 

Excellent work on the fiddly bitsl    You continue to do very clean and precise work on very tiny parts.   Wow!

[ianmajor]

Great work Hamilton.

 

Love the capstan and gallows. It inspires me to improve my capstan which is a bit basic.

Edited August 11, 2013 by ianmajor

[The Sailor]

Very nice work, Hamilton.

[hamilton]

Hi Ian:

 

You should give it a shot. Mine is a bit over-sized for scale (perhaps about 1-1.5mm too tall), but I think it was worth it to take a stab at it. It's one of those things where, as I said before, the more you build yourself the harder it gets to use the kit-supplied parts, mostly because when you do they'll stick out like a sore thumb! The capstan was not too difficult in itself to fabricate - I actually used the kit supplied one to trace the circumferance of both the base and the drum head on thin sheets of basswood. After that it was just a matter of cutting a square section out of the sheet with the traced circle in the middle, trimming it down and then sanding it into the circular shape you see in the finished piece....I used the kit supplied capstan also to mark the holes for the capstan bars on the appropriate circle (before cutting it out) - this was 1mm thick, and sandwiched between 2 .5mm thick pieces. I filled out the holes with the thin edge of a flat micro file and then assembled the head. After assembly I drill a hole through the centre and inserted a blackened brass nail (this protruded out the end and was used as a support when I fixed the central post) . I used a 3mm dowel for the central post and drilled a hole in one end to accept the nail from the drum head. These parts were then assembled together. I then drilled another hole in the bottom of the central post and also through the centre of the circular base. I inserted a piece of brass wire through here again to provide extra support for the whole assembly. The welps were made from 3mm x .5mm basswood, which I rough cut in an upward slope before installing (8 in total positioned between the bar holes on the drum). I then used a hobby knife to trim these further down for a better look.

 

Once again, the capstan is by no means perfect, but I'm happy with the results and I know it looks better than the kit supplied one would after it had been slathered with red paint....

 

Now that I've installed all the cannons, I'm wishing I had scratch built the carriages! The Corel ones are "just fine", but only just....My next step is to build the elm tree pumps, which at this scale could be very difficult...especially the brake handles which will be shaped out of 1mm x 1mm walnut...and the brackets which I'm thinking of fashioning out of wood to simulate iron....anyway, these are very small parts and will test whatever skills I've managed to acquire over the last little while.....

 

hamilton

[hamilton]

Hello all. 

 

My son and I are off to visit my dad back east tomorrow so there won't be too much going on here for another little while....things starting to slow down with the approach of another school year, too....I always say that the coming year will be easier than the last, but this is never true! I don't know why I continue to deceive myself.....

 

Anyway, my dad is a modeller, too (planes), so I think I'm going to smuggle the Blandford ship's boat kit out there in my carry-on so I can sneak in a little time at his workbench (which is much more well-developed and well-equipped than my dining room table!)....We'll see. I know he'll want to tour me around his latest projects and he may be interested in seeing how these little boats come together and lending a hand, who knows?

 

In the mean time - happy modelling to all

hamilton

[trippwj]

Safe travels - enjoy your visit!

[Ferit]

Yes, family is one of the most important events in the world... We are the scratch builds of them... Happy you must be to visit your dad having same tastes with you... Happy travel, happy visit, happy modelling...

Edited August 13, 2013 by ashiponthehorizon

[mtaylor]

Here's wishing you a safe and enjoyable.. nay.. make that a "safe and great" trip.

[ianmajor]

Hamilton,

 

Have a good trip.

 

If Blandford sprouts a pair of wings we will know that your dad has been helping you out.    

[augie]

Have a great trip and return safely!

[ZyXuz]

really nice build on the fittings, hamilton..

and enjoy your trip!

[mobbsie]

Happy Birthday Hamilton, here's hoping the day brings all the nice things you want.

 

Enjoy Buddy.

 

mobbsie