L' Hermione by MESSIS - Artesania Latina - 1/89 - 2nd build

[cog]

Hmmm, I would expect a straight jacket to keep you at the house. So how is the planking moving on?

[MESSIS]

that would be a permanent solution!

[MESSIS]

Gun ports cutting is progressing. It was important to take care that the ports were marked  in the right position. The correct height from the cannon deck and ofcourse care was also given not to cut any frame.

 

The cannon deck planks were varnished with a satin matt varnish. The wall's inside planking of the cannon deck is going to follow as soon as all the ports have been cut.

[Katsumoto]

I really like the deck on you ship! Well done sir!!!

[MESSIS]

@Katsumoto thank you dutch friend. Am still waiting to hear your new shipyard plans.... after discovering America!

 

Christos 

[Katsumoto]

4 hours ago, MESSIS said:

@Katsumoto thank you dutch friend. Am still waiting to hear your new shipyard plans.... after discovering America!

 

Christos 

Thanks Christos, the next project has to wait for a little while...America is a big place they say....

[MESSIS]

Gun ports finished. The  transom is installed and am ready for the planking of the hull. The instructions of AL show a few very thin planks coming at the bow. Thats something am going to avoid so am not going  to follow the instructions.

 

Edited April 9, 2019 by MESSIS

[cog]

Is it a single or double layered hull? If double, you shouldn't mind to much for the first layer, as the second is the visible one. If single, I can understand your sentiments towards the planking

[MESSIS]

@cog its a single and thats the trouble. Still I believe it will be manageable using a few drop planks. 

 

Ofcourse the hull at the end is going to be coppered. Still I want the planking to be done correctly.

 

Thank you for commenting.

Christos

Edited April 9, 2019 by MESSIS

[MESSIS]

Planking goes on.... not much trouble since this moment. Monday expecting headaches....  probably... definitely! 

[MESSIS]

Planking still going on. Not so fast , but ok. The planking from the kiel upwards has   also started. I assume that another 6 strakes in this direction will bring me up to the end stage and I hope very.near to the last plank... to the correction plank.

 

Edited April 18, 2019 by MESSIS

[donrobinson]

Nice start to a beautiful ship, I'll be watching with great interest

[Dilbert55]

As you already coppered the hull on your first build you should buy some nice hardwood strips and put a fine layer of wood on top of the scrap they provide in the kit. Your wife will like it better that way I think.

[MESSIS]

@Dilbert55You are right my friend... but I was going to do that only if I wasnt going to paint the hull.Actually I bought some for my first build which I still have,because as already said I went for the painted versio

@donrobinson thank you very much. And ofcourse your always  more than welcome.

Edited April 18, 2019 by MESSIS

[MESSIS]

So planking upwards now. Leaving some spaces on the bottom  stern to catch the turn correctly. Ofcourse those will be filled at the end with a few stealers.

 

Am coming nearer to the end. Though am still stressed with the out coming of the ending at the bow, of the rest of the planks. I guess, if the planks get too thin, then maybe I will have to use a joggler or two

[MESSIS]

Few planks remain and ofcourse the correction plank(I guess two of them will be needed-a longer and a short one )  to close the hull planking.. Stealers were also used 4 each side at the stern. According to my logbook  I just conclude 100 hours of work.

 

Now its party time 🥂my grand son is coming to Cyprus and am closing the shipyard down for the time he is staying with grandma and grandpa.  😊🐖🐄🐓🦆

Edited April 24, 2019 by MESSIS

[MESSIS]

Hi everyone,

 

Am back again. 18 days grandson kept the shipyard shutdown. Now he is back to UK... time to catch up some work.

 

Just recalculated  the remaining plank gaps. It seems a joggler will be needed on each side. And ofcourse two correction planks, a long one and a small short one.

 

Started preparing the jogglers... and installed two bow planks, on each side, which are the last in full width. The next planks two close the bow will be a joggler almost identical in each side, which will be projected after the third frame into two thinner planks. Lets see how well it goes tomorrow. 

Edited May 13, 2019 by MESSIS

[MESSIS]

Planking finished and sanding already had some rough passes. I think its time to build a supporting jig in order to keep the model safe from keeping as the build goes forward. 

 

 

Edited May 16, 2019 by MESSIS

[MESSIS]

Thank you guys for the likes. Its a nice feeling knowing you are not alone out there, talking to your self. 😍

Thank you.

Christos

[cog]

Is that what you are doing ... it is a sign of old age you know

[Dutchman]

Ha, ha, I think you do know you're not out there alone, after all this time!  We keep following and enjoying your build!

[MESSIS]

😉  @cog dear friend, Is it a sign of old age... or is it just old age? Ofcourse important its not the age but how you feel.

 

I remember my late father when with 82 he got upset and stopped going to  his club because "too many older gentlemen there... he preferred something more appropriate for his age".... and that worried my sister a lot, calling me all the time and asking his whereabouts. 👍

 

@Dutchman yes ofcourse... actually thats the whole fan in this blog.... Its a getting together of people from every corner of our planet! I believe thats a wonderful feeling!!

Edited May 17, 2019 by MESSIS

[MESSIS]

Stempost, sternpost and the three parts false keel are in place.

 

Edited May 17, 2019 by MESSIS

[MESSIS]

painting the hull.  Most of us dont like painted ships.... wood is warm and beautiful... no comparison! 

 

Still I enjoy painting Hermione. She looks very happy with those colours of her.

 

I have used  the  pigments of Hermione of the 17th century, which the Hermione-Lafayette History Committee found after extensive research. A pantone data table with those, is given  in the AL kit. Plus the fact that a gentleman from AL was kind enough to send me over the corresponding paints from Vallejo.

 

So... the Blue of the King, for the bulwarks. A costly colour then, as it contained ground lapis lazouli

 

The Naples yellow, a widely used recipe in the 17th and 18th century in France, was used for the level of the gun-ports.

 

And the remaining hull over the waterline was painted black. And ofcourse the underwater hull was white, which a few months after the launching of the ship, had been replaced by  a  copper sheathing.

 

Last but not least the  red (from red ochre and natural clay)  "to hide the blood" according to popular rumour, was used for all the gun-deck, the quarter deck and  the fore castle.

 

Here are the pictures of the painting procedure.

 

Note 1: The white paint seen over the waterline, its the vallejo primer (its a thin primer) which I brushed painted as thinly  as I could, in order to allow the underneath planking to be visible.

 

Note 2: The white colour, under the waterline its a spray primer which I sprayed thick enough , in order to prepare the hull for the copper sheathing. 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2019 by MESSIS

[MESSIS]

Coppering or copper sheathing. Started today using the Amati plates 17x5 mm. The size is within the sizes  used by the french navy at that time.

 

Amati has left and right plates, to indicate the overlapping. In my case I used the overlap to the upper and stern side of the plate, simulating the way was done then.

 

My experience building Hermione the first time say two pkts of plates shall be enough.   Thats 518 plates each pkt. Am going to use about a thousand.... as many as was actually used in 1779 on Hermione. Cost incl.  shipm. 60 euros.

Edited May 23, 2019 by MESSIS

[MESSIS]

Just finished first side coppering.

 

Edited May 28, 2019 by MESSIS

[cog]

You'll be spraying the painted parts with gloss lacquer once youve finished coppering?

[MESSIS]

@cog Last time -though I have played with this thought- I didnt. I let it get its patina naturally and looked great. 

 

So I think not...  unless you suggest that it can  help in the end result somehow. I am afraid if the lacquer (may be a matt one) prevents or delay the patina and lets that copper shine on... which I find for the ship look rather unnatural.

[cog]

Maybe I wasn't clear enough I did not mean the copper, Messis, but the paint above it. The blinking copper is much nicer when it ages over time

[MESSIS]

@cog oh dear friend excuse me... I thought you talked about the copper.

 

I dont know. Again I think not to. I have the feeling this way -no laquer- looks more natural. Again a mat lacquer could give a good protection to the colours, but still make it look fake in a way.

 

What do you suggest? 

 

Christos