HM Cutter Cheerful 1806 by Blue Ensign - FINISHED - Syren Ship Model Company - 1:48 scale

[Rustyj]

B.E. I just caught up with your progress and it was a pleasure to view. Your ingenuity and workmanship is fantastic!

[Blue Ensign]

Much appreciated Rusty,  your Cheerful log has been a constant reference source and inspiration during my build. I wish I had achieved the same cleanness  of Hull planking so evident in your fine build.

 

Regards, 

 

B.E.

[Martin W]

Hi BE -- I didn't know about using de-ionized water.  Does that take the place of flux?

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[Blue Ensign]

Hi Martin, de-ionised water  (distilled water) is simply used to  neutralise the acid before I dip in the blackening solution, and then to stop the process once the depth of colour is achieved.

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Post 69

Completing the Chainplates

I now get back to fettlin' the Chainplates and with the deadeye strops completed I can now gauge the width of the chainplate fold over to secure them.

A further 'on model' trial fit of the Chainplates to check positions and form the bends required where the Chain fits over the wale.

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This is a bit of a scary exercise and is done with the model supported on towels and a flat metal edge used to press the chains into shape.

This needs to be done before blackening for obvious reasons.

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The chains are then  blackened;

 washed in soapy water, rinsed, dipped in acid, rinsed again, submerged in the brass black. and once again rinsed.

I also tested a deadeye in the blackening fluid to test the effect on the Boxwood. There was no visible effect on either the colour or the stability.

This is just as well as once the chainplate has been messed about fitting and adjusting the connecting loop, a further dip in the brass black is required.

This is one of the downsides to metal blacking items such as this rather than painting them, but for me the finish is far preferable.

All this is a fiddly exercise, particularly getting the deadeyes to sit reasonably level with each other. Tiny differences in the strop and chainplate loops contrive to work against you, to produce an uneven top line.

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In relation to the fixing of the chainplates I have followed the Admiralty plan and placed the second bolt above the wale, also shown on Chuck's plan, rather than have the two fixings thro' the wale.

It took a days work to complete one side of the Chainplates, with still a little more adjusting and touching in to do.

 

Backstay plates

I am using Caldercraft 5mm brass etched hooks for the rigging attachment to the Backstay plates so the plate loops need to be made to accept these.

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Much quicker to make and fit the backstay plates.

Overall three days work to complete and fit  the ironwork.

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I can now leave the Blacksmiths Forge and return to the Carpentry shop.

 

B.E.

15/02/2019

 

 

[Dowmer]

BE,

I'm glad to see you spent so much time on the fastidious chainplates.  You got the look just right, and it really enhances the “look” of the ship.  So many people make this an after thought as they want to get busy with other parts of the build, but it’s so noticeable that it deserves the time and patience you showed it.  Well done 👍 

 

Why use the Caldercraft PE hooks?  Why not make them out of wire like Chuck did?  I think they look far superior.

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Thanks Dowmer, those hooks are quite small and once blackened and fitted there’s not a lot to see.

Being basically a lazy builder I will purchase parts if I think they are up to scratch 😉 rather than make them, that’s why my Cheerful build is in the kit section rather than the scratch section.

ps.: I have now modified the coamings following your timely advice a few posts back 😊

 

Regards, 

 

B. E.

 

 

[davyboy]

Hi B.E. These chainplates were a bit of a pain to make,I had to remake a couple of mine which were not up to scratch. Yours look very good indeed. Will start making my cat blocks this weekend,I have some .020" x .040" copper wire. Just about the right size for the "iron strapping",I hope.

 

regards,

 

Dave  

[Dowmer]

48 minutes ago, Blue Ensign said:

ps.: I have now modified the coamings following your timely advice a few posts back 😊

 

😁 Just trying to help LOL 😂.

Your shipbuilding skills are still way above mine. Keep up the marvelous work.

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Cheers Guys, and for all the 'like' hits, much appreciated.

Post 70

Fixed Block

This is a convenient point to make the fixed block for the stem to take the jib outhaul.

Taking measurement off the plan the block is made from a scrap of 3mm thick boxwood sheet.

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I cut the profile on the little mill, and finished it with files and sanding sticks.

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The sheave was made from a slice off some Ramin dowel.

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The bench will now be cleared so I can get down to a spot of gun blackening.

 

B.E.

17/02/2019

 

[Rustyj]

Coming along real nicely B.E. !

[Blue Ensign]

Post 71

Gun Blackening.

I prefer to chemically blacken my guns rather that paint them but my first job is not to start blackening but to make the cap squares to hold the trunnions in place.

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A simple jig is made to hold a trunnion at the right depth and some brass strip is formed over this.

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It is important to use a pliable not too thick brass strip for this, otherwise the bending process can prove quite difficult.

I am using some 0.25mm x 1.5mm brass fret strip left over from my Pegasus build.

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With the set made I can leave the finishing off  until later.

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All the necessary stuff is assembled.

I am using a 29/64" long gun to work out the procedure I will use.

 

I am particularly interested in how the GR monogram will respond to the various procedures which will determine  whether they are applied pre or post treatment.

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A medium sized monogram is blackened and fixed to the barrel using a spot of CA.

This has been pre-blackened using some USA stuff called Birchwood Casey Super Black touch up pen which works very well but seems to be rather nasty stuff to the extent that its sale is banned in California.

Still I will have very short exposure to this  stuff.

 

The barrel is scrubbed in soapy water, rinsed in distilled water, dipped in acid, rinsed again, immersed in the brass black, and rinsed again.

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You can see the unblackened area around the monogram which is due to ca contamination.

The good news is that the monogram has not been affected by any of the processes.

A scalpel blade point is used to scrape away the ca overspill and the process repeated.

I found it easier to  put tiny spots of ca onto the barrel directly and then place the very tiny cypher and apply a little pressure.

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So this is the effect after two 3 minute immersions in diluted Carrs  Metal Black to Brass.

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Quite happy with the way things have gone and  I will now carry on to complete the full complement of ordnance.

As an aside if you compare the finish Chuck obtained using paint and weathering powders, what a great job he made of 'iron' ising his guns.

 

B.E.

19/02/2019

 

 

[paulsutcliffe]

Nicely done BE, love the colour of that gun, well done

Regards

Paul

 

[Dowmer]

BE,

l love the color and patina of the gun.  The ones here at the Naval Academy and Navy Yard (US) are more black, but I figure it’s because someone has painted them black to preserve them. I’m not sure what they would have looked like back then, but that looks pretty good to me. 👍

[bartley]

BE,

 

You mentioned above that the Birchwood Casey stuff seems "nasty stuff".  Yes indeed! All of these products contain selenous acid ( and selinic acid once used.  These a both poisonous chemicals and also carcigenic. Avoid skin contact. Wear gloves.  and if any gests on your skin wash with copious amounts of water.

 

Good work though.

 

John

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you guys,

@ John -  only minor use was needed, and I also wore a mask.

 

Post 72

Completing the guns. (Part 1)

The first job is to apply the Royal monograms, using Chuck's delightful little offerings.

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A small detail that is missing from the guns are the vents, quite feasible to add at 1:48 scale.

Easy enough to replicate on the long guns with a strip of brass drilled with a hole, but more difficult on the Carronades where the touch hole is in a casting atop the base rings.

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I wouldn't have attempted this freehand but it can be done using the mill with a 0.5mm micro drill.

Alternatively a small patch of 'lead' foil could be used to represent the covers to protect the touchhole.

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The blackening process is fairly slow because after each treatment tiny contaminated areas remain that require more delicate cleaning before re-dipping.

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However little by little an even finish is obtained.

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Here's a completed carronade after a light buff with a soft paintbrush.

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Once the cover is even the guns can be re dipped to intensify the depth of colour.

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Slightly darker after a further dip.

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The completed set

The next step is to mount the guns, and that's a whole new exercise in fiddly detail.

B.E.

22/02/2019

 

 

 

[davyboy]

Very nicely done B.E. I drilled through each carriage bed then placing the carriage centred at a gunport then drilled through into the deck. I wrote the position under each carriage Pt 1,Stbd 1 and so on to ensure the completed units went into the right place.

 

I kicked the idea of using the copper wire stropping for the Catblocks into touch,it looked awful. Made some from brass sheet a la the drawing in Lees,much better looking,a PITA to make though. Also made the anchor buoys,having a real problem making up the rope work  That's on hold for the time being. 

 

Have a nice weekend,regards.

 

Dave 

[Blue Ensign]

Thanks Dave,

I agree narrow brass strip is the way to go for the metal stropped cat blocks, the tricky bit is getting the central disc where the sheave is located.

I've made a few anchor buoys in my time and scratched the ones for Pegasus. For Cheerful tho' as they were available I took advantage of Chuck's little offerings.

These will still need the serving and slings adding which is the fiddly bit. The buoys are an awkward shape not that conducive to serving and I find the line needs pva-ing as I work down the buoy. In fitting the slings I find a needle is of great benefit.

 

Regards,

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Post 73

Completing the Guns (Part 2)

I don't glue my barrels to the carriages, preferring to hold them in place with the capsquares.

I had previously made the capsquares but these now need finishing with the holes drilled to take the joint bolts and eyebolts.

So far so good.

When I made the Pegasus guns I added the bolt that secures the cap square in place plus the key and chain.

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050

 These were at 1:64 scale, so replicating these fittings at 1:48 scale would be a doddle,  - right, - wrong. I think going slightly larger is more difficult as detail becomes more apparent.

At this point I hit a sort of wall and have been fiddling around ever since my last post. 

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These are the makings to complete the carriage furniture.

 

The capsquares, eyebolt hinges, and  joint bolts are fairly easy.

It's making the key and attaching the chain that  tests my sanity and patience to the limit.

 

The Chain is some tiny stuff I have in stock whose origin is now obscure. 48 links to the inch just about right for the purpose, but still quite tricky to attach to the key in particular.

Working out an approach and method is the first hurdle, handling the tiny little beggars is the second.

 

I have spent several days faffing around trying to fit these tiny additions, the chain links are so small that I have to seize them to the key and retaining eyebolt, using very fine wire, and the more the gun is handled the more the finish is affected.

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From 12" normal viewing the result doesn't look too bad, from some angles anyway.

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The joint bolt fashioned from a cut down eyebolt, I am fairly happy with.

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Not entirely sure about the height of the key bolt or the size of the key, this is the area that bothers me most.

The difficulty is fashioning these in an even smaller size.

 

A further test is how does the finished gun look in place, no good doing it if it detracts from the look.

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Is the overall result worth the effort, I'm not sure and grow less so with the prospect of a further eleven guns to dress.

 

 I will give it one last go before I start on any further guns.

 

 

B.E.

26/02/2019

 

 

[davyboy]

Good evening B.E.

 

To coin a quotation from an old,old film. "You're a better man than I am Gunga Din". I did fit a key bolt but trying to make a key with chain to fit was a no go,for me anyway.  Full marks for your one  only another 11 guns to do,have fun  

 

Got the Catblocks stropped with the brass ok. I rivetted the hooks in,they look quite good after all.

 

Made up my anchor cables and attached them to the Anchors. For info,you'll need about a half metre of rope for each one,that gives you enough length to play with. I'm still thinking about those Anchor Buoys,get round to it eventually. Serving them is not a problem it's the slings or rather the rope bands that the slings are attached to. Maybe some blackened copper or brass wire rings may work. Oh dear,decisions,decisions. BTW,were they painted,tarred or what ?

 

Regards,

 

Dave  

 

 

 

 

[gjdale]

Looks pretty good to me B.E. and knowing your attention to detail, I suspect you will be dissatisfied if you decide NOT to do the other 11 guns. So best you get back to it!!!😉😄😄😄

[Blue Ensign]

So true Wallace,  satisfaction is the key, do it to a level that pleases me - satisfaction.

Don't do it, a constant niggle that I failed and should have tried harder.

@ Grant - Thanks Grant , I suspect you're right.😃

@ Dave,  glad the blocks worked out; for the slings I fitted the horizontal bands and then used a needle to thread the verticals beneath the horizontals, and seized them with a false splice. I believe the buoys were tarred. I dipped mine in some Dark Jacobean wood stain.

 

Not sure that wire will give the best appearance on the buoys.

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4357.

 Hope these pics may help.

 

Cheers Guys,

 

B.,E.

 

 

 

 

[Martin W]

Hi BE -- I went back and looked at a photo I took of a gun on the Constitution.  Unfortunately, it's a bit unclear to upload here (and I'm sure you've seen more guns in real life than land-locked I have).  But from what I could make out, the key bolt was proportionally only the merest smidgeon shorter than yours.  In other words, simply the fact that you've made the effort to add that detail will make up for a micrometer's difference.  I admired your addition of these details on the Pegasus guns so much, that I gave them a go, and only learned that a) I couldn't find chain fine enough, and b,c,d,e, &f) I lacked the skills to fabricate and install such items neatly enough.  In my view the guns are always one of the most tedious parts of a build.   But I say, keep at it, and when they're done, they'll impress any 12" viewer.

 

Cheers,

Martin

[Blue Ensign]

Cheers Martin, keep at it I have🙂

Post 74

Continuing adventures with guns.

So with renewed resolve I start to rethink my approach to fitting out these chunky little carronades.

Method is everything to avoid frustration which ultimately results in giving up. Getting into a it'll be done when it's done mind set also helps.

Most of the problems in adding additional features revolve around holding the parts and in my particular case tired old eyes, and to think I went larger scale to make things easier for myself.

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This time I start by threading the chain onto 0.3mm brass etched eyebolts and once I got the required length used one as a template to make the others.

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The finished chain length is 5mm.

The eyebolt rings were cut and closed to reduce them in size but still secure the chain.

 

I fashioned the keys and bolt but at a slightly smaller size. I think it was this feature that I was least happy with first time around.

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I also decided to pre-glue the keys into the bolt before fixing because once in place they are a fixed point to attach the chain.

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During the operations a jig to hold the gun helps to avoid handing.

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 The chain is attached to the key using fine wire.

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Sealed with a spot of ca, a paint touch up, and the jobs complete.

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Making the capsquares for the long guns was somewhat trickier than for the carronades. There is little room at the forward end to drill and fit the retaining bolt and key.

 

Now all this is a lot of extra work for a small feature, but we are all prisoners of our foibles, and this is yet another one of mine.🙄

 

Still I am happy with the result and there are only four guns left to do which I will complete at a leisurely pace over the course of next week.

 

B.E.

10/03/2019

[davyboy]

Good evening B.E. Very well done indeed 👍 I'll bet you'll be glad when the last four are done

 

regards,

 

Dave 

[md1400cs]

B.E.,

 

Brilliant work on the capsquare detailing - Well done indeed!!

 

Cheers,

[Martin W]

Add an exclamation mark to my like!!!!

 

The fine wire is a brilliant solution.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[Gahm]

Beautiful work, B.E.! The extra details are a lot of work, but they are worth it!

 

Thomas

[Blue Ensign]

Cheers guys for the appreciation and 'likes' 🙂

 

Post 75

Ordnance all in order

The fiddly fittings are all completed, not the end of the process as the quoins have to be glued in position and then there's the tackle rigging, but a relief nonetheless.

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For the first time the full complement in place on Cheerful.

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Before I return the task of tackle rigging I will have a change of  scene and complete the rudder and make the tiller.

 

B.E.

15/03/2019

 

[MEDDO]

What a great milestone.  You are continuing to impress with every update. Now you have to think about all those teenytiny lines and knots 😁