ancre La Belle Poule 1765 by mtaylor - Scale 1:64 - POB - French Frigate from ANCRE plans

[mtaylor]

I'm putting this on hold until the weather breaks.  I'm wearing a mask, two vacs and air filter running and no joy.   Dust is still getting spread about. The balsa just seems to hang in the air forever.  When I can sand outside, at least it won't be going all over the apartment.  

[G.L.]

Hoping that spring begins early this year to give you the opportunity to continue.

[cog]

16 hours ago, mtaylor said:

When I can sand outside, at least it won't be going all over the apartment. 

Nope, it will envelope it entirely ... pullin' your leg mate.

 

Couldn't you replace the balsa for a less harmful wood?

[Jack12477]

Mark, have you tried one of your finger planes, instead of sanding? Or don't they work well on balsa ? 

[mtaylor]

Well, cleaned the apartment today... took quite awhile due to the workshop being a dusty as it was.   However, I have the air filter on high to pick an dust out of the air and my throat, sinuses and lungs feel a lot clearer.   I think the balsa is so fine it just floats forever.    While I'm waiting for some warm weather, I'll be starting a plastic model hopefuly this coming week.

 

19 hours ago, G.L. said:

Hoping that spring begins early this year to give you the opportunity to continue.

I am hoping also.  When it does, grab the tools, the ship, and the breathing mask and get it done.

 

8 hours ago, cog said:

Nope, it will envelope it entirely ... pullin' your leg mate.

 

Couldn't you replace the balsa for a less harmful wood?

Too late, Carl.  I glued the filler pieces in place.   I did think about dumping the whole thing and starting over using some 5-ply plywood and basswood but chickened out.

 

7 hours ago, Jack12477 said:

Mark, have you tried one of your finger planes, instead of sanding? Or don't they work well on balsa ? 

Not until you mentioned it.  I'll give it test tomorrow.

[mtaylor]

Well, the helicopter is done and on the shelf and memories found and remembered.    So back to Belle Poule.   The shop has been cleaned up, she's on the bench and tools are prepped.    Then I had one of those moments... "what the hell was I thinking?" as I looked over the balsa filler.   I thought about dumping it and starting over and doing it "properly", but then I'd still have a lot of sanding to do.   So.. I'll carry on from where I am.

 

Sidenote.... funny thing about strokes.   Not ha-ha but weird maybe is right word.  Right after it happened, my mind was shot.   But it seems like things I thought were lost (like how to do a POB) but they've come back.   Not completely but reminds of a computer backup.   So memory gets trashed and then can be restored by back up tapes.   It's the only way I can explain it.   

 

Hopefully, pictures in a few days of the port side I'm going to finish shaping.

[shipmodel]

Hi Mark - 

 

So glad you are recovering from the aftereffects of your stroke.  I know that it will take time, but mental exercises like model building can make the process as speedy and complete as possible.  You have best wishes from me and, I am sure, the entire ModelShipWorld community.

 

When you have a moment, I would love to see your helicopter.

 

Be well

 

Dan

[mtaylor]

Hi Dan, 

Sent you a link to the build log.   What you say about the brain is true.  Memories that I thought were gone have, for the most part, come back.  Short term memory still seems to be in the trash, but getting better.

[BANYAN]

Nice to see you coming back to the 'wet' side Mark.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[druxey]

Good to know that you are improving, Mark.

[mtaylor]

Thank you, Pat and Druxey.

 

If the weather is half as nice as they predict, I'm taking her out on the balcony to sand.  Working inside requires vacuums, and serious cleanup.  BTW, the plastic was fun and good for me but wooden tall ships is where my heart is.

[Kevin]

i do hope you are able to be making sawdust again soon, so glad you are feeling better

[mtaylor]

Kevin,

Actually I'm doing pretty good.  Longterm memory is coming back in bits and spurts which the docs told me would happen. Short term seems sometimes to have wandered off.   Did some work inside today as too cold still to sit outside.   Just worked for 15 minutes at time with two shop vacs and an air filter running.  Then after 15, go do something else.  Rinse , repeat.  Up and down all day and I'm making progress.  

[BANYAN]

Great to hear o0f your recovery Mark; even if gradual it is an improvement.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[src]

Mark,

Great to see you back and on the upswing.

Sam

 

[Landlubber Mike]

Mark, very glad to hear that you are doing better.  Take care my friend.

[mtaylor]

Thanks Sam and Mike,

Update time...

The starboard side is "mostly" sanded and shaped.  The stern needs a tad of work and the bow needs some finicky work.  So, I'm going to turn her around and get the other side into this condition.  Then I can finish the stern and bow to get a match.   The bow has some unique shaping and I'd like to do them at the same time,  My thinking is if I do one now, and later try to do the other side, I'll wonder what the heck I did.  

 

[Edwardkenway]

Now it looks like a ship hull again,  nice work Mark 

It's good to see you back in the shipyard, although the trip over to the helicopter was good with some great stories and memories,  thanks👍

Edited March 14, 2020 by Edwardkenway

[knightyo]

The hull looks fantastic, Mark.  That should make for a great planking surface!

 

Alan

[cog]

Nice hull shape you give her Mark. Looks very fine to me

11 hours ago, mtaylor said:

My thinking is if I do one now, and later try to do the other side, I'll wonder what the heck I did.

 

The things I do ... I wonder about that all the time

 

 

[src]

17 hours ago, mtaylor said:

My thinking is if I do one now, and later try to do the other side, I'll wonder what the heck I did.  

Mark, I could do both at the same time and STILL have that problem!!! 😀😀😀

Sam

[popeye the sailor]

checking in Mark to see your progress....I see the hull frame is looking really good.  hope to see planking very soon  

 

yea....weather's getting better...can't wait to get back to sanding in the garage.  in the house I only do hand sanding,  so a lot of the dust ends up on the table.

[mtaylor]

Well, after getting sidetracked by the helicopter build and fiddling with air cleaners... I've been sanding and shaping the port side of the hull.  I will need some touch up on both sides before planking, maybe a bit of filler here and there and final sanding.  However, I still need to shape and smooth both sides of the bow.  I saved this part for last thinking everything before leads to here.  Hopefully, I'll get it sanded  by next week.   I'm going slow and cautiously.  I'm also using templates to check that both sides are the same.  Tedious, but must be done.

 

Here's the proof of life photos of the port side.

[mtaylor]

Thanks for the likes.   

 

Update..  sanding is done though I will recheck everything before planking.  Next is to set it upright and work on the gundeck by adding some decking and framing in the bulwarks, gun ports, and stern.   Not necessarily in that order.  I happy to be done with the balsa... miserable sawdust it makes.  I'll clean up the shop in the morning.

 

Here's photos.

[jct]

Looking good Mark...she really has a bluff bow

[mtaylor]

10 hours ago, jct said:

Looking good Mark...she really has a bluff bow

Above the water line, it's very bluff.   Further down, not very bluff at all.

[Vladimir_Wairoa]

On 4/4/2020 at 4:30 AM, mtaylor said:

Thanks for the likes.   

 

Update..  sanding is done though I will recheck everything before planking.  Next is to set it upright and work on the gundeck by adding some decking and framing in the bulwarks, gun ports, and stern.   Not necessarily in that order.  I happy to be done with the balsa... miserable sawdust it makes.  I'll clean up the shop in the morning.

 

Here's photos.

Beautiful project Mark, very nice work indeed. will check on her . Vlad

[mtaylor]

Thanks for the likes and comments and for bearing with me.    I feel like I'm on new ground with this one.   On the next one, I'll back on familiar turf.

 

I've had to make some decisions so I've been experimenting and fiddling.  The ANCRE drawings are somewhat lacking on certain details particularly as to what's below the gundeck.  They show covers over the ladderways but over bulkheads and they're not all ladders as I learned with Licorne.  So, I'm taking my lead from some of the French and Polish builders and will save some time and aggravation.   What I be doing is planking the deck and bulwarks from the 3rd bulkhead through the 10th and detailing that area.  The rest will not be detailed and even the carriages for the guns will "different" (simplified) than the rest.    I did think about this long and hard, did some sketches and a few mock-ups.    Once I get the decking down, I'll do an update before starting to frame in the bulwarks for the upper deck.

 

Peace, and everyone try to stay healthy in these trying times.

[j.guydal]

Hello, Mr. Taylor, I am very happy to discover this post on the construction of the Belle-Poule. I am myself on this same subject and it is very interesting for me to discover other methods and tips for the construction of this beautiful frigate. I will now follow the progress of this subject with the greatest interest, thank you for this sharing.J.Guydal.

[cog]

j.guydal, do you have a buildog somewhere ?