HMB Endeavour by Pat Lynch - FINISHED - Artesania Latina

[Pat Lynch]

28 minutes ago, Cabbie said:

Hi pat very solid and neat looking steps and the ship as well. You are moving along very quick,

there musn't be an admiral around to keep you occupied otherwise, or you are one of those lucky retired types.

Cheers Chris

Retirement does the trick! but yes, I do have an Admiral on board but she loves craft, art, music .....and model building

[vulcanbomber]

Hi Pat, looking very good. I like the colours you have chosen, they suit the model very well.

[Pat Lynch]

Thanks for the encouraging words folks

The next task on the books are the stanchions and mooring posts (bollard?) The stanchions have their lower end rounded to fit into a 2mm hole drilled in the gunwale top. I was sure they'd be at a slight angle to match the hull sides so that's what I did. The mooring posts were from 4 X 4 walnut. I used the 4 jaw chuck on my little lathe and gave them a bit of shape and 5mmlength. They are CAed into positions on the ship (not always clear where!)

I also wet and steamed some 6 X 2 walnut strip and clamped to give me two lengths with a curve in 2 dimensions. They will be glued to the rail supports hopefully with little strain on the joints.

 

Pat

 

[Pat Lynch]

The rails along the top of the gunwales are of 5 X 2 Walnut and I'd pre-bent them to fit the curve of the deck (well almost fit). A tiny drop of med CA holds them in place OK. I can lift the hull by them  The paintwork is still a 'work in progress'. One of my pet dislikes (for me) is leaving excess wood texture in the finish and at 1:60 scale, it isn't easy! So these rails have had a couple of coats of well-sanded sealer before painting but it still shows some grain. I may give it another fine sanding before the final coat. The paint on the rail is Tamiya NATO Black - more a very dark grey than a true black. Using different shades of the same hue to give some variety to a model adds a bit of interest (I think!). The Black is a flat paint so after drying, it was given a good buff with a soft cloth to add some shine to the edges.

Now, all those vertical bits from the hull sides up the railings........

 

Pat

[Pat Lynch]

Next small step up this very steep learning curve were the various vertical parts attached to the external hull - mountings for the small guns (culverins) fore and aft and the tricky fender strips which I assume were to protect the hull when hoisting stuff to and from small boats along-side.

The shape of the fenders must match the profile of the hull and no way could I shape them using the suggested wood size so a piece of 5 X 2 Walnut was used and laboriously filed to fit my hull - and of course, both sides were slightly different  but after some grain filler and painted in the manner of the replica, it looks OK (at a few yards distance).

 

Close-up pictures always look worse than when the whole subject is visible!

 

Pat

 

 

Edited April 10, 2019 by Pat Lynch

[Pat Lynch]

A question about the Endeavour's channels. The A.S. kit and the Oz replica, do not show any brackets from the channels to the hull above. However a couple of very nice models by builders on this forum who have good references show some brackets. Easy enough to make but is there an explanation?

 

Cheers, Pat

[BANYAN]

Hi Pat, I fitted them as I based most of my build on the AOTS book (Marquardt).  Note however, there are a few things in the AOTS that remain open to further research/questioned by other researchers, and a couple of errors.

 

That said, I was happy to fit them as the colliers (of which Endeavour was first built) generally show them fitted, and being very 'hardy' vessels, this sort of reinforcing was probably essential - some further research may throw-up other info though.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Pat Lynch]

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so what have I been doing? One of the most contentious and variable interpretations on a model Endeavour seems to be the transom décor! The cast metal provided is a bit 'clunky' but I figured with some work, it could be the basis for my model. But the metal is very difficult to work with so I am experimenting with casting polyurethane resin replicas that I can easily carve, sand and generally adapt to 'my' Endeavour! The cast windows look crisp and tidy so I'll use them as they are. I'll leave it there as I need some fresh casting resin - mine is about 10 years old and makes rubbery mouldings!

 

Pat

[Cabbie]

Sounds good Pat i am be keen to see how you do it, I broke one of my metal

castings. This would be a good way to get a replacement. I was trying to bend a cast one to fit the hull, (DOH)

As you say it could be shaped to fit. Is the casting a bit flexible?

Hooroo Chris

 

[Pat Lynch]

A bit more experimenting. I reshaped the transom ply parts to suit my model and added the top edging as is done on the replica. BUT. I forgot to narrow the ply by the added thickness of the edging and also made it a bit too thick. I used two pieces of .6mm Bass ply plus 1 of .4mm Birch ply - about the thickness of gunwale top. Now I see the replica has a much thinner section so after a spell of mowing lawns, I may redo it and kill two birds with one stone. But the idea is coming right (I think)

Part of my problems is that the back end of my model seems to lake the shape the ply transom parts suggest it should be! I must have misread the instructions somewhere. Instruction?????? What instructions.........

[Pat Lynch]

There - fixed! I replaced the transom 'capping' with two bits of Birch ply - .8mm + .4mm. 1.2 vs 1.6. I'm happier now

The transom I've divided into a few separate sections to make construction easier - the back board, window panel and the decorative panel above. I'm hoping to almost finish each section before installing on the stern.

The supplied windows will do fine - the castings are crisp and fit snugly into the cut-outs. I tried out the painting of them on the redundant centre window. The black glass panes were done with a permanent marker pen (a cd/dvd marker) and then a drop of model aircraft 'canopy cement' was spread around to give a nice glaze. Hardly noticeable except by me

I'm getting closer to seeing solutions to the transom area, Hooray!

 

Pat 

[vulcanbomber]

I like the way you are adapting the build.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing how the castings come out.

[Pat Lynch]

VB - I hope it all works out! My fall-back is always the original parts....

Finally the transom stuff is ready and waiting for the decoration. I'll fix it in place when major work is finished. I'm learning a lot as I go and, as always, wish I'd done earlier stuff differently. Cant get it all right on the first model! - first serious one that is......Pat

[BANYAN]

Nice job on the 'bodging' Pat; a great improvement.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Pat Lynch]

Thanks Pat. Having 'bodged' my way out of trouble, I now am attempting the resin replication of the somewhat crude metal parts - mostly the main decorative panel on the transom and the two side carvings (ladies with grapes) that I want to modify. After some experimenting, I got several near-perfect resin reproductions using a lump of plastic 'clay' as a mould. The metal items were dusted with baby powder and pushed into the clay to make the shallow impressions. The resin (part A and B ) were mixed EXACTLY 1 to 1 and poured into the moulds - 20 minutes later the resin versions were extracted  Excuse me jabbering on - I'd never done a resin casting before and it seems to have worked. A little extra heat was applied to the resin items later to help complete the curing in such thin items.

My aim is to remove a lot of the main panel to give a similar look as the replica. Not the same but I like the look.

A work in progress for another day!

Pat

 

 

[Pat Lynch]

A little progress. The transom and the ornate upper panel have been final fixed to the stern  The starboard decorative piece (or the resin copy) was cut and repositioned in a manner similar to the replica ship.

I am aware that the actual figures and motifs are NOT the same as the replica but I have used the photos to try and better position my copied kit parts. It's the idea and appearance I wanted. It would be a lot more work to completely redesign them and most of my friends wont notice.

I've now got to tackle the port side figure in the same way. The replica has her standing on a small flat base above the lower part of the decoration so I did that to break the item into two separate sections and get the bottom part at a better angle on my model.

OK -it's a sunny day here in Inglewood so back to the garden........

btw, the brown line on the lower stern between the black and white areas is a molding that will be painted yellow at some stage. I'd forgotten it was there until looking at the photos

Pat

 

[BANYAN]

Nice work Pat

[danielww]

Hey,Pat, Nice work. I have the AL Endeavor standing by and was wondering if you could share the ingredients and method used in your castings. I have to agree re the crude metal as supplied. I note that one of my metal castings snapped  in the box!!

Anyway if you are able I would like to hear the details as would other members I'm sure.

Dan

[Pat Lynch]

Whoops! - measure twice, cut once.......

Thanks folks - nice comments help keep the project alive However, I still make big errors - carefully positioning the first of the side windows under the wrong cannon post. Right where the mizzen channel will be  So, a quick repair job and try again!

The decorative frame around the window was a bit heavy in metal so I cast a pair of them from resin. This also gave me the opportunity to give the window opening a bit of slant - sort of like many plans and pictures show. Not quite right I know but it gives it my own touch. The great thing about resin is it is so easy to sand, cut, carve, scrape etc so I made these items about a mm thinner and they curve to match the hull. I pushed them against the hull before they completely cured.

I have shown the little US made kit I am using and I'll try and give a bit of 'how I did it' next! But I AM a beginner and tend to do it my way.

Cheers and happy Easter to all.

Pat

 

 

Edited April 18, 2019 by Pat Lynch

[Pat Lynch]

'.....I did it my way....' I am starting with that disclaimer because this was my first time at resin casting and revealed a few pitfalls and may some folks can benefit from my fumbling attempts

For a one-off casting, I used the plastic clay supplied in the mini-kit. It is easily moulded and with care, makes a good basis for small objects. Make sure the clay is nice and malleable by squeezing it until soft BUT avoid folding it over on itself like pastry as it can leave creases in the 'dough'.

 

The object to be copied is washed clean and can be given a clean-up around the edges with a file but do not get too fussy - the resin copy will be much easier to tidy up! A dusting of baby powder over the object will make it easier to remove from the clay.

 

Lay the object on a smooth surface and mould the clay around it, examining a few times to be sure it is making good contact all round. Then carefully prise the object out of the clay (it may even fall out if held upside down). and place the clay mould on the bench so the top is level.

 

Mixing the 2 part resin is the trickiest bit. The quantities must be EXACTLY the same to ensure success (unless you are very experienced ) It is suggested that the parts A and B be measured into separate measuring cups and then combined into a third as some liquid will stick to the cups after pouring and may cause unequal amounts. Mix the combined liquids thoroughly and quickly - a minute is about all you have before pouring into the mould. The brief user notes suggest mixing a bit more than needed as it makes getting the small quantities more exact. I used about 10 + 10 mils -a fair bit of waste but if you got all the castings ready at once, it'd be more economical.

 

Dusting some baby powder into the clay mould and blowing out the excess is suggested for an easy removal. The resin will change from clear-ish to off-white when nearly cured - wait at least 20 minutes before  very carefully easing the clay away from the casting which can be left for a while to fully cure. It seems very small or thin parts such as I did may take longer to fully cure. I found some of them only became fully rigid after several hours. Some warm sunshine might help! Any residual clay can be washed off with warm soapy water before working with the resin casting.

 

What you do from here is entirely up to you  The resin can be sawn, filed, sanded, cut, scraped and seems very easy to work with. I found it better to wait a day or so before painting and certainly give it a good washing first. A flat white acrylic seemed to prime it OK and  Tamiya acrylics have dried OK. Medium CA works as an adhesive but I've not tried other glues.......

 

Sorry a bit long-winded but I hope it helps. It's easy after a few trial objects.

Again, this is just my personal experience as a first timer!

 

Pat

Edited April 19, 2019 by Pat Lynch

[Pat Lynch]

Back to building......The final bit of exterior decoration to be done at this stage - the Port side window at the rear - again from a resin casting and a little window frame added from thin plastic sheet with four panes cut out (a pain) backed by a piece of black-painted plastic. White glue (canopy cement) was run into each pane to simulate old glass.

I thought that was all the decorative stuff but I wanted to do the thin yellow moulding/batten/strip that runs around the quarter-deck hull sides (on the replica) at just below deck level. I'll have a go.......tomorrow.

Pat

[Pat Lynch]

Some more of the hull details were added - the decorative yellow trim on the quarter deck upper hull sides and some dummy hinges on the various side hatches/openings. The yellow strip is 1 X 1mm plastic from the Evergreen stand in the local hobby shop. It was painted yellow on three sides and the rear scraped clean for gluing. The path it would follow was scraped back to bare wood with a #11 blade (only a scratch really) and the strip held  in place while a tiny drop of thin CA was applied along a short distance. The process was repeated along the strip until it was secure. Almost no sign of the glue as it was wicked between the plastic and the hull. Looks OK from a distance!

The 'hinges' are just tiny pieces of thin black card about .75mm wide fixed with thin CA. The opening direction is what I could glean from various replica pictures.....not always correct possibly but they look subtle which is what I wanted. The bigger hinges have tiny spots of PVA glue applied as bolt heads. They are almost invisible but I know they're there

Next, I'll do the poop deck rail across the transom top - it seems to be curved in two directions so I may laminate some .4mm ply and cut it to shape. We'll think about it.

Pat

[danielww]

Pat, Thanks for the casting "tutorial"... I appreciate the effort you put into the explanation.

Cheers, Dan

[Pat Lynch]

Dan - you're welcome.

The transom rail was made from a lamination of 1/32 and 1/64 ply. I looked at replica photos, plus a plan published on the net and got a rough facsimile of the real thing. I may have a bit too much curve in the rail but it is similar to the replica but at odds with the kit and other models. Ah well - it is MY interpretation  It seems to be mostly a structure to tie various ropes to - but that will be much, much later

Another coat of paint and some retouching of the painted areas tomorrow........Pat

 

 

Edited April 21, 2019 by Pat Lynch

[Pat Lynch]

After suffering a minor computer 'malfunction' (read - finger trouble) I can post a little progress!

Fitting the channels was the next logical task (and next in the instructions) so they were prepped, painted and fitted to the starboard side of the model. Some of them needed a slight curve to follow the hull lines and so were steamed and clamped over night.

With channels fitted, I looked at ALs version of the shroud deadeyes and their fixing and decided to do a little better - esp. after seeing some of the excellent build on this forum. So I found a roll of 22 swg tinned copper wire and proceeded to make the various parts needed. I also made the plate that fixes the 'chain' to the hull with some thin brass about 2mm wide. It's all very laborious but 1/2 the deadeyes have been prepared and I did the mizzen channel for practice. They can only get better . So I have a long task ahead getting around the ship. More details when it gets more interesting! The surgical tweezers were great to clamp the wire while the eye was being formed around some 1.5mm rod.

Pat

 

Edited April 24, 2019 by Pat Lynch

[Pat Lynch]

About a weeks work (much of it experimental) I have the starboard channels and the lower deadeyes fitted. Certainly not a perfect job but I'm happy enough. My motto is "..I'll get it right next time.." but that supposes there is a next time, or more likely will I remember the mistakes I made this time 

Without the expert reference materials I now know are available, the shortcomings of the A.L. kit plus my lack of model ship building knowledge, this model is bound to be a bit of a mix of right, wrong and 'does it matter'! But it will have been a fair effort I hope.......enough rambling and face the port side with enthusiasm and a little more knowledge

 

Pat

 

 

[Pat Lynch]

Very small offering today - just to prove I'm still working  - the remaining 20 lower dead-eyes and the related bit of hardware 'in the rough'. Now they all need cleaning up, a bit of re-shaping and assembling into the port side channels. Nice to get all the bits ready to fit instead of doing them bit-by-bit as I did the other side.

Still having fun on a rainy, wintery day (it's still Autumn really...Pat

[BANYAN]

They do take some time to do; I am in the middle of doing similar items for my current build.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Pat Lynch]

Thanks Pat - I just spent an hour or so perusing your Victoria thread - lots of hints and tips to keep me on my toes!

 

It's great to reach a goal or benchmark - but now the channels, lower deadeyes and their associated hardware are done. Not without many, many errors and mistakes but that is part of the learning curve. Biggest lesson is that I should have drawn or found a reliable drawing of the hull to get the placements of parts where they should have been  So the main channels are a little too far forward (or the mast rearward), the chains and their anchoring plates are too far south - etc etc....... Like others, I had chains anchoring in the middle of hatches etc. I have since found a scale drawing on the 'net that can guide me in the future. It is probably an illicit copy (looks Polish) so wont show it here. Next time I'll get stuff right.

The dead-eyes and associated bits are not accurate but look a lot better than the A.L. kit parts. After painting with dark grey Tamiya acrylic, the new bits were given a very light dusting with graphite dust with a soft brush - just enough to give a little bit of definition to the painted parts.

And now, something completely different - staring on the deck fittings.

 

Pat

[BANYAN]

That last shot is a great angle of your completed work Pat; she looks great!

 

cheers

 

Pat