HMS Victory 1805 by Robert29 - FINISHED - Caldercraft - Scale 1:72

[Robert29]

Long due for an update.

 

Thank you Anthony. I myself was so much inspired by great builders on this forum. 

 

Thanks Ian, yes the hammock crane netting was very time consuming and it also took me a long time source a material from a drapery shop which simulates the netting.

 

Thanks Johnny,  although the boats were built more or less  as 'out of the box' per instructions, I did a few changes such as the rudder hinges and sail mast brackets in the Launch.  I am sure they are a bit different from the original boats and if I did more research I could have made them closer to the original boats.  To be honest, on the internet, I did not find much details for these boat.

 

I am finishing the inside of the boats before I work on their outside. For the rudders I added the hinges and the tillers for them.

 

This is how I made the tillers.  I took two lengths of 1.5 x 1.5 walnut, cut a notch on the end of both of them to take the top of the rudder and glued them together. 

 

 

Then shaped them as per photo.

 

For the hinges I used small strips of styrene with a piece of brass rod glued to it.

 

 

Launch ready from the inside with floor boards, thwarts and painting.  Rudder with tiller, windlass and davit ready as well.

 

Launch, Barge, Pinnace and Cutter 

 

Apart from the anchors and oars supplied with the kit I will try to add some more details, such as barrels and sail masts.

 

Next week I will be having a small break from the build because my daughter who lives in Stratford-Upon-Avon has just made me a grandad and I will be flying from Malta to visiting her and obviously my first grandson. 

 

Robert

Edited July 2, 2021 by Robert29

[Anthony Hearne]

congratulations on the birth of your grandson , do you have to quarantine coming from malta?

[Robert29]

Thank you Anthony.  No I do not have to quarantine.  Malta is green listed with UK. I am fully vaccinated, have to take a PCR test in Malta within 72hours before the flight to be allowed to fly, then take another PCR test in UK within 48 hours of my arrival and only if this comes out positive I have to quarantine.

 

Robert

[Robert29]

More work on the boats.  I finished the outside painting.  In the kit manual it indicates to paint the outside hull of the boats Dull White.  Apparently, Admiralty Paints do no do the 'dull white' anymore, I used Matt White.  For the golden bands I used the modelling masking tape as suggested on the manual itself.  I cut strips the required width, painted them gold, secured them in place  with their own backing glue, then applied clear varnish all over the washstrake and tape to keep it secured in place.  Just for the Pinnace I used styrene strips.  

 

The Launch

 

 

 

 

The Barge.

 

 

 

 

The Pinnace.

 

 

 

The Cutter.

 

 

 

 

 

I still have to paint the oars and some more details, but I might do that later on, when I decide which boats I will fit on deck and which once I will be hanging on the davits. I really need to go hands on, on the ship's rigging.  It is quite a challenge for me as I never did rigging of this level.  I only did much easier rigging on two much smaller boats. 

 

Robert

 

 

[allanyed]

Robert,

Your boats are some of the better ones that have been posted, congratulations!!!   Will you be adding the anchor lift davit bar in the launch and the ears on the bows of the appropriate boats?   I am on holiday with no access to my books so ask if the strips on the launch hull (I don't recall the name) are appropriate for the late 18th or early 19th century.  I have seen these on 20 century boats but would like to know more about these on 18th and 19th century boats.

Thanks

Allan

[Robert29]

Thank you Allan,

Yes, I will be adding the anchor lift davit on the launch.  I have it ready but I haven't glued it in place, in the below photo it is only dry fitted. I will also be placing the respective anchors (supplied in brass with the kit) on each boat.  As a matter of fact  even the windlass, I haven't glued in place yet.  The anchors I still have to blacken and since I also intend to add a few more items (such as barrels) I thought better not glue anything for the moment.

 

If 'the strips on the launch hull' you are referring to the hull planks overlapping  each other (clinker type planking), I am not sure if any of the boats were constructed with this type of planking.  I just went along as indicated on the kit manual.  To be honest I tried to look for details of the boats but found very little.

 

As for the ears, I haven't seen them on any HMS Victory boat images I managed to find on the internet.

 

At this point there might be some details which I could have added, but it is too late to add now.  But if you have any details of the boats of which I am still in time to add and within my capability I would be much obliged if you can furnish me with them.

 

Thanks again.

Robert

 

 

[Heinz6672]

Robert,

great work and a wonderful result! Chapeau!

 

Respect!

 

Heinz

[Sjors]

Amazing.....

You put the stick very high!

I will try to do the same but it's difficult!

But I will do my best...

Keep on going Robert and I will follow you closely.

 

Sjors

[Robert29]

Heinz,

Thank you, comments appreciated.   From time to time I visit your build log to steal some ideas.🙂

 

Sjors,

Thanks for your comments.  You yourself are doing a very good job on your Victory.

 

Now I have basically started the rigging.  As per kit manual I started with the shrouds on the lower masts.  I had already done the pendants before.  I started by serving the part of the shroud that goes round the mast.  The forward shroud is served all the way.  The thread for the Mizzen mast is a different size.

 

First I tied the shrouds round the mast

 

Then I tied the deadeyes with the shrouds, also tied the cleats to the shrouds before rigging the lanyards.  The lanyards still have to be tensioned and tied. I will do them together starting from the front, set by set alternating from starboard to port when I have all the shrouds in place.

 

 

 This is the knot and the way I am tying the shrouds to the mast and to the deadeyes.  I had seen how to do this type of knot on Youtube   For the knots I am using the 0.25mm thread.

 

Five times around the bunched thread, end passed through the small loop.

 

Tighten the knot, fit the deadeye in the loop by pulling either the very end of the shroud or the other end going up to the mast, to get the deadeye at the right height from the channel. 

 

Same knot used.

 

 

When all four knots are done I go over them with white glue and when dry trim the ends.

 

 

Robert

 

 

[Sjors]

Looking great Robert.

I have to remember that knot.

Should be no problem because i take a look every day to your log 😀

 

Sjors

[Anthony Hearne]

hi robert , amazing work, can i ask ,what is the tool you are using to hold the thread while tying the knots?

[Robert29]

Hi Anthony,

They are actually electrical wire hook clips to use with multimeters.  I bought them on ebay (china staff), very cheap. You might find them in electronic stores or RS suppliers, probably more expensive.   I found them really useful tying knots. Hope you can open the following link. 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/382419278175?

 

Robert

[Anthony Hearne]

yes , thank you , i ordered a set , like you said very cheap but perfect for the job

[Robert29]

Hi all,

This is how my Victory looks like at the moment.

 

Taking a closer look at the shrouds on the Fore and Main masts I am not at all happy with them.  

The top deadeyes are not in line with each other.  I did a jig to keep the same distance but I think my mistake was that I did not tension each and every consecutive one I installed as I went along.  I finished them all with the knots, glue etc... then I tensioned the lanyards at the end.  To my disappointment the deadeyes  were not coming in line with each other as you can see in the pictures.  I was really angry at myself for doing such a mistake, a job which took me hours on hours.  First I thought to leave them as is, trying to convince myself that after all on real ships they are not always lined with each other.  But every time I looked at them they bothered me.  Then I tried to fix them.

 

 

 

 

If you look at this picture I fixed the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th shroud.  They look better now.  Fortunately I did not use any CA glue on the knots.  I am taking off the lanyards, wet all the knots and painstakingly sliding the the shroud thread through the knots to shorten it.  Seems to be working.

 

But for the foremast I am not sure if this will work as I also have the cleats fixed on the shrouds.  To my mind came Helli's build log were after he had already put on the rat lines he literally took all the shrouds off because he didn't like the rigging of the deadeyes on the shrouds.  Helli, I admire your guts to have taken that decision after so much time was put in the work to make them.  So with Helli's encouragement I decided to first try to fix the ones already in place, if  not satisfied I think I will replace with new ones.  In the meantime I will order some 1.3mm thread from CBM as I do not have more of it. 

 

Luckily I had realised my mistake before I finished the shrouds on the Mizzen.  Before I rigged the shrouds in place I thought it is better to fit the davit brackets and the windows on the second gunport, as it will be more difficult with the shrouds in the way.

 

I had prepared the davits and the windows at an earlier stage.  Know that the davits will be in the way whilst doing the rest of the rigging on the ship I found the exact positions for their brackets, drilled the holes for the nails and glued in place just the one side with the shaft soldered to it.  All I have to do when the time comes to fit the davits is just slide them on the shaft, glue and nail the other part of the bracket in place in the already prepared hole for the nail.  

 

 

 

 

 

Robert

Edited September 14, 2021 by Robert29

[Robert29]

A small update.

I managed to adjust the deadeyes to bring them in line with each other, so I don't think I really need to replace everything.  Basically I had to adjust all of them.  Where I had gone over the glue with water I have some faint whiteish discolouration on the black shrouds. I think a light application of shoe polish will do the trick.  Probably it was caused by the mixing of the bee wax, which was already on the shrouds, with the glue while I was handling them.

 

Some photos with lower masts shrouds, deadeyes and lanyards rigged in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you notice in one of the photos, earlier on I managed to knock down the flag pole on the bowsprit.  I will fix later on.  I am really pleased I have't yet fitted the gunport lids as I am sure I would have nocked down a few of them while doing the rigging.

 

Next the catharpins and futtock shrouds. 

[Robert29]

Futtock Shrouds

Futtock Staves blackened and tied in place.  Catharpins also tied in place.  To help to keep the catharpins the same tension I made a simple jig I had seen in another build.  

 

Prepared the Futtock Shrouds with the hooks.

 

Rigged in place and when I was trimming the extra lengths tragedy struck.

😱😱😱  I hit one of the lower mast shrouds with the snips.  I just couldn't believe what I've just done.

 

 

After getting over the shock I sat down to see how I was going to fix it.  I removed the lower part of the shroud with the deadeye completely, wetted the lower seizing on the futtock shroud to loosen the glue and untied it, cut the end of the futtock shroud just a bit shorter and seized a new piece of lower shroud thread to the end of the futtock shroud.  It came pretty good, it's not noticeable.  Then rigged again the deadeye.

A quick rough sketch.

 

 

Futtock shrouds all in place with damaged lower mast shroud (starboard,5th one on fore mast) repaired.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regards

Robert

 

[Anthony Hearne]

absolutely superb

[flyer]

Hi Robert

Your Victory really is an outstanding model. Comparing my Bellerophon with your build I can hardly believe that they are in the same scale. Being at exactly the same stage as you I will visit your log occasionally and hope to shamelessly profit by your example.

I Love the quality of your pictures as well.

Regards

Peter

[md1400cs]

Robert,

 

Just catching up - superlative work - a real pleasure following and learning as well.

 

Cheers,

[Malcolm Greig]

Robert

 

Also my first look at this awesome build. What a marvelous job you are doing. 

 

regards

 

Malcolm

[CaptnBirdseye]

This is what i love about this forum. You can be just browsing when up will pop something so interesting that you've just GOT to go right to the very first post and read the whole thing! And there goes your day lol.

What a truly remarkable build. The craftmanship shines through in every update. You can see your carpentry background standing you in excellent stead!

Definetly following this build now i've found it

Regards

RB

[Robert29]

Anthony, Peter, md1400cs, Malcom  and  RB, thank you for your nice encouraging comments.  I hope that my work will be of some benefit to other builders.  I have definitely learned a lot from other builders on this forum.

 

Peter I have had a brief visit of your build, you are doing a marvellous job.  I will go into it in further detail and definitely be following.

 

A small update:

I am trying to do as much work as possible on the masts before I do the topmast shrouds which later on, I think,  will be more difficult to do with the shrouds in the way.

 

I rigged the 10mm triple jeer blocks in place and also prepared the respective 10mm double jeer blocks which go on the yards.

 

 

Fore mast.

 

 

 

 

Main mast

 

 

Robert

 

Edited October 18, 2021 by Robert29

[Robert29]

A small update.

 

As stated before I always try to see if there is any work mentioned in the manual at a later stage is going to be more difficult to do with what I am doing now.  On checking about the Topgallant Shrouds, the kit manual instructs you to tie off the ends of the topgallant shrouds to the futtock staves.  But looking into Longridge's 'The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships' they are finished differently.  It indicates that the topgallant shrouds pass between the topmast shrouds and inside the topmast futtock stave.  They run down parallel with the topmast shrouds and a thimble is spliced in the lower end. This thimble is lashed by a laniard to another thimble seized to a strop tied below the lower topmast shroud.

 

A rough sketch. (Didn't copy drawing in book because of copyrights reason)

 

I decided to rig the topgallant shrouds as per Longridge's book and thought it would be much easier to install these strops now, before the topmast shrouds.

 

I made some thimbles, (as shown in my post no.114, page 11) from 1.5mm brass tubes wit a wall thickness of o.225mm and blackened them. 

 

The three (on each side) topgallant shrouds for the fore and mainmast are to be lashed to the first , third and fifth futtock plate, for the mizen to the first and third.

 

 

 

Robert

 

 

 

[Charter33]

As ever, thorough research immaculately executed!

Keep up the good work -

I'll be dusting off my copy of Longridge's book, that's for sure!

[paulb]

Great stuff, Robert. You're way ahead of me now, so I can steal some of your work!

[Malcolm Greig]

Excellent build Robert, very informative, helpful and interesting. Huge task building one of these. And a quality job.

 

regards

 

Malcolm

[paulb]

Looks great Robert. Very useful to steal from your work which is just ahead of mine. 

[Robert29]

Charter, Paul and Malcom thank you for your kind words.

 

Next in line were the topmast shrouds.  But I thought I better install the slings for the lower yards before the shrouds are put on.  The manual tells you to make it in one sling and tie two knots to simulate two thimbles.  I took a different approach and made them in two separate slings, one that goes round the mast cap and one that goes round the sling, each with a thimble at their end.  Details taken from Longridge book.

 

This is the sling that goes round the mast cap with an eye on one end and a thimble I made from brass tubes.

 

Sling finished with three seizing. You have to be careful about the length of the sling, the position of the thimble has to be just a little short from the thimble on the yard sling, so that they will be lashed together.  You have to put it in place by sliding it from the top of the masts before you make the topmast shrouds, otherwise you have to make the three seizing with the sling in place, which will be more difficult.

 

This is the sling that goes round the yard.

 

 

Sling in place on the foremast.

 

 

Foremast with topmast shrouds fitted.

 

Main mast.

 

All topmast shrouds in place with staves as well, except for one shroud on the Mizzen.  I was missing one 2.5mm deadeye.  I have them ordered from CMB together with some 3.5mm deadeyes as I also realised I would be needing a few more as well.  I had turned a few of them into hearts to use on the bowsprit, that is why I am short of them. 

 

 

From time to time I check the alignment of the masts while doing the shrouds to make sure none of them is being pulled to one side.  When you look directly from the front you will only see the fore mast, the other two are completely hidden behind it.

 

Next job is the never ending ratlines.   

 

Robert

[Robert29]

It's been well over a month with no updates. Had some other priorities and rat lines take a lot of time as well, never ending knots.  

 

I finished the ratlines for the lower masts, except for the futtock strops.  Here are a few images.

 

 

 

 

 

 

More rat lines to follow for the futtock shrouds, and topmasts. 

 

Robert

Edited January 16, 2022 by Robert29

[Heinz6672]

On 1/16/2022 at 1:43 PM, Robert29 said:

It's been well over a month with no updates. Had some other priorities and rat lines take a lot of time as well, never ending knots.  

 

I finished the ratlines for the lower masts, except for the futtock strops.  Here are a few images.

 

 

 

 

 

 

More rat lines to follow for the futtock shrouds, and topmasts. 

 

Robert

just one word: BEAUTIFUL!