Medway Longboat - 1742 - 1:24 Scale - by JpR62

[BobG]

That's a beautiful stand, Jean-Paul!

[JpR62]

Thank you Bob and thank you to all the 'Likes'.
As my work on the Armed Virginia Sloop is finished, I will be able to focus on the Medway longboat again 🙂

[Tigersteve]

Your base looks familiar. I like it! 😎
Steve

 

[JpR62]

Thank you Steve.

I liked the base you performed on your longboat so much that I used it as a model.

Your longboat is truly a superb model !

[JpR62]

I had put my project on the longboat on hold because I have a pretty good idea of its future presentation which will be inspired by Steve's wonderful work.

I was looking for gratings that could match the 1:24 scale.  Finally, I found what I was looking for at CAF who provides gratings at different scales.

The largest one allows for a 3 mm spacing.

 

 

So I cut 3 mm wide strips with my Byrnes table saw.

 

 

The assembly is then a breeze.

 

 

The three elements are then cut to size and sanded.

 

 

 

At this scale, we can afford quite precise details. Having the beautiful 3D photos of Swan class virtual 3D purchased from Admiralty Models, I was able to have a precise documentation. These virtual views are absolutely beautiful and the price is really modest considering the quality and quantity of details on this class of ship.

 

I allowed myself to photograph one of my gratings next to one of the detail photos of the Swan Class virtual 3D. You can only admire the quality of these photos... And there are hundreds of them detailing all the elements of the ship!

 

 

The nailing session will still be long...

 

[JpR62]

Thank you to all the 'Likes'.

The work on the gratings is almost finished. I still have to glue them on the deck.

 

For the hatch, I used strips of wood cut with my Byrnes table saw from a sheet of 1/4" thick milled Yellow Alaskan Cedar sheet. I really like this wood because it allows for precise cuts and makes for clean angles.

 

The coamings have lap joints on the corners. The first coaming is done and ready to receive its grating.

 

First, all coamings are prepared. The lap joints are made with my new tool, a Proxxon MF70 micro milling machine and I must admit that it is very precise.

 

A first blank assembly is carried out.

 

Once the assembly is completed, the excess lengths are sanded down.

 

The edges are rounded and the treenails simulated with toothpicks.

 

 

For the coloring, I tested a new product from Liberon. It is a casein furniture paint. A finish with a tinted wax, also from Liberon, is finally applied with a soft cloth.

 

 

A sheet of black paper will be glued under the hatch.
I am more and more hesitant to treenail the deck.

Does anyone have any idea what size drill bit to use o simulate realistically the treenails at a scale of 1:24 ?

 

 

 

 

 

[DelF]

Beautiful gratings ... and welcome to the MF70 club!

 

Deck treenails would have been about 1"/ 25mm diameter, so approximately 1mm at 1:24.

 

Derek

 

 

 

[JpR62]

Thank you Derek for your answer and thank you to all the 'Likes'.

It is my first work done with the MF70. The work is not necessarily faster but on the other hand what precision.

For the diameter of the deck treenails, so I will start with a 1 mm drill bit.

[BobG]

Gorgeous work, Jean-Paul!

[JpR62]

Thank you Bob for your kind words and thank you to all the 'Likes'.

 

This week I worked on the simulation of the deck treenails.

 

I therefore opted for a 1 mm drill bit. Once the holes are drilled, the edge is accentuated using a pencil with a finely sharpened lead.

 

At this scale, it seemed appropriate to use toothpicks to simulate treenails.

 

A new coat of teak oil is applied to remove the traces of sanding.

 

The deck is ready to receive the two hatches. But...

 

Before gluing them, I would like to know if I should add treenails on the front and back edges of the hatches?

Does anyone have an opinion on this question?

[GuntherMT]

The planks would be fastened there, so it would make sense to continue showing the fastening coverings around the hatches.

[glbarlow]

I don’t think I would. The lap joints look so nice, the tree nails would be a distraction. Perhaps a cosmetic model choice, but a good one I think. 

[JpR62]

Thank you Brian and Glenn for your answers and thank you to all the 'Likes'. I probably won't add treenails so as not to overload the deck.

 

My work continues on the base of the longboat. I decided to add an extra detail which will consist of 2 turkey cages that will be positioned under the longboat.

 

I had the good fortune to find all the necessary documentation either in the plans of the 'Bonhomme Richard' monograph (plate 16), or in volume II of the 74-gun ship, written by Jean Boudriot (page 196).

 

The plan was enlarged to a scale of 1:24 and all dimensions were calculated using the documentation provided in the Boudriot book.

 

 

All boards were cut from pear wood using my Byrnes table saw. It is truly a diabolical precision tool. A real pleasure.
The assembly is then carried out by using again the legos of my children (who passed the age to use them, but me not 😁)

 

I placed two thin boards under the bars in order to center them well, the regular space being maintained by inserting small pieces of wood between each bar.

 

Since Boudriot says the frames and rails are oak, but the sides and back are lined with fir boards, I use american mapple boards to line the fronts.

 

Next step: hollow out the inside of the wooden troughs located on the front of the cage and supported by flat iron brackets.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2021 by JpR62

[JpR62]

Thank you to all the 'Likes'.

I continued my work on duck cages.

I first hollowed out the two corn troughs with my new tool, a Proxxon MF70 micro milling machine. I used a 2 mm milling cutter which left a .25 mm thick wall on each side. I am quite amazed at what is achievable with this tool. The deepest part was hollowed out with a 1.5 mm cutter. I was afraid to drill the edges.

 

The two troughs are glued to the front of the cage and the flat iron brackets are simulated with black paper strips.

 

The joint between the paper strips was filled with a little epoxy putty. They will receive a touch up of acrylic paint black metal.

 

The 4 elements are then assembled, taking care to ensure the squareness of the cage.

 

I then added the 4 small drawers at the bottom of the cage that were to be used for cleaning. The bottoms of these crates will be added once the floor of the cage has been built.
The handles of the drawers are simulated with the help of pinheads.

Work is progressing nicely and I'm really enjoying creating these elements that I hope will bring a touch of realism to the base.

 

 

 

[Mike_In_RI]

Superb, as usuual. If I were a duck, that's the cage I'd want! What wood did you use.... Cherry?

 

Mike

 

[JpR62]

Thank you Mike. The crosspieces, bars and uprights are made of pear wood. The boards of the side walls and the back wall are in american mapple. This wood will also be used for the floor and ceiling.

It's really a pleasure to build these two cages. I will probably lay a thin layer of straw on the bottom of the cages. I still have to find a way to imitate this litter as well as possible.

[glbarlow]

Very creative use of the mill and saw. Nicely done. I’m also a big fan of my relatively new MF-70 and have been a Byrnes saw owner for years. Such great tools. 

[JpR62]

Thank you Glenn. I am indeed discovering this mill and it is a new world that offers itself. It's quite amazing in terms of precision. I do not regret the purchase of these tools.

And thank you also to all the 'Likes'.

 

My work continues on poultry cages.
I first put the bottom of the cage using again american mapple boards.

 

I then reproduce the bottom of the 4 drawers used to clean the cage by using thin boards cut with a cutter in the rest of the boards used for planking the Queen Anne royal barge. What luck to have kept these boards...

 

Then comes the fun part of this job. I decide to reproduce a straw bed at the bottom of the cages. I pull out Stan Catchpol's excellent technical book 'The Complete Modelling Workshop' (published in the 1980's, this book is a series of technical tips published over the years in the English magazine 'Military Modelling'. This book is a real gem)

 

The straw is therefore reproduced using the bristles of old brushes. These bristles are cut to different lengths and dyed with different acrylic colors.

 

 

A thin layer of Humbrol clear varnish is applied to the bottom of the cages and the straw is applied with tweezers. I then tap the straw with a brush coated with a matt glaze medium from C. Roberson & Co.

 

I  had a lot of fun reproducing this straw bedding and the result seems quite convincing.

 

 

Now I have to close the cages.

 

[JpR62]

Thank you to all the 'Likes'.

 

The two cages are now finished.

They were first closed with American maple boards (as for the bottom and sides)

 

Nails were simulated using black monofilament (15LB)

 

And finally the two cages reach their final location on the deck section of the ship.

 

 

 

It's time to refocus on the longboat itself 😁

 

[Chuck]

Beautiful!!!

[Tigersteve]

Can’t wait to see the final product!

Steve

[JpR62]

Thank you Chuck and Steve for your kind words and thank you to all the 'Likes'.

 

Just a little advance: I turned the four belaying pins using a 1/16 x 1/16 boxwood strips.

Difficult to reproduce them identically...

 

I still have to coat them with teak oil.

I'm going to focus on the thole pins. They too will need to be turned into a boxwood strip.

[Mike_In_RI]

Super work on the cages for the deck section. Very clever.

 

Mike

[JpR62]

Thank you Mike for your kind words and thank you to all the 'Likes'.

 

Last week I worked on thole pins. They were made from 3/64" x 3/64" boxwood strips.

 

I first cut the strips into 2 cm long pieces
The angles of the strips are blunted with a cutter blade and finally they are rounded with my Proxxon.

Finally, they are passed through the Byrnes draw plate to be sure that their diameter is all the same.

 

The holes are drilled on the top of the cap rail and the pins inserted.

 

I used a segment of brass tubing inserted over the drill bit to leave only 3mm of the drill bit protruding. This way I can get holes of the same depth.
For the positioning of the thole pins, I first drew their positions on the plan which was then photocopied. I start to place the pins from the stern. I use the same photocopy on the port and starboard sides (it is simply turned over).

 

So the photocopy is initially cut at the position of the second pin at the very back. To drill the first hole of the pair, I built according to the excellent idea found on Ryland Craze's build log (#137) a small jig to drill this hole at the same spacing each time.
Once the pairs are inserted to starboard and port, the photocopy is shortened to the position of the second pin of the next pair.

 

 

Finally, the thole pins are painted red.

 

Next elements to be build: the roller at the bow and the two windlass bars.

[JpR62]

Thank you to all the Likes.

 

This week, I just added two small details.
First, the roller on the bow was turned using the Proxxon DB 250 wood lathe.

I used the same lathe to shape the 2 windlass bars from a 1/8" x 1/8" cedar strip.

 

Still a lot of fun to work on these little details and Alaskan yellow cedar is really a nice wood to work with. The more I work with it the more I like it.

Next element to be treated: the rudder.

 

[JpR62]

Thank You to all the 'Likes'.

I'm starting to add the final details before taking care of the mast.

 

For the grapnel, I just changed the angle of the flukes on the grapnel arms to make them more vertical.

 

Once painted, I applied a light veil of weathering powders.

 

The rudder is being finished.

 

 I still need to touch up the rounding of the painted bottom frieze and add the tiller.

 

Always a pleasure to work on this longboat.

 

[Chuck]

Nicely done.  Cant wait to see the final pics.

[Ryland Craze]

Beautiful work on your Medway.  Have you done any more work on this model?  You are so close to finishing it.

[JpR62]

Unfortunately not.

I am currently working on my other project: the Cheerful cutter.

But I haven't forgotten this longboat. I will resume work shortly.