HMS Winchelsea by scrubbyj427 - 1:48

[scrubbyj427]

Planking party day three:

ive decided that from now on whenever I work on my Winnie, I’m going to fasten my phone camera to my head and build it through it’s eyes, I’ll do a much better job lol!!

 

JJ

[Matt D]

That looks great, JJ!  What did you use on your “bricks” for the stove base?  It came out really nice.  Was it some type of weathering powder?

[Chuck]

Looks great but keep in mind those bolts on your mast partners are way too large.  You will probably have a hard time fitting you mast coats.  If there is any way you can remove them and go much much much smaller….you will save yourself much trouble later.  Keep those bolts small.

[scrubbyj427]

Thanks Matt, 

I followed Ron’s advice and kind of mangled up the lines defining the bricks with a blade a little to simulate chips then painted them black, rubbed the finish with denatured alcohol to give it some fade then I used some weathering powders. I’ll probably go over it again when the deck is finished as it’s getting a lot of brushing and touching.

 

Thanks Chuck, I've been giving those bolts the stink eye since I put them in. I’ll probably rip them out and replace when I finish planking.

 

JJ

[scrubbyj427]

Small update:

Just taking care of some side projects while waiting for some planking lumber to finish the decks. Chuck, I went way smaller on the nails this time, in time they will brown and darken to where I want them. 
 

Matching the grain and color on the gun ports is fun, I’m currently working on getting the same tone on the stbd side by slowly treating the gunport doors the same way I did the hull. Hoping to get around the bow soon but I’ll probably finish the deck first. Can’t have too many unfinished sub-projects going on.

JJ

 

[Ron Burns]

JJ,

Absolutely stunning work! What did you use for nails? You probably mentioned it already but these days I feel like I'm hiding my own Easter eggs

The ports look great and look like they will match up perfectly. Can't wait to see how you deal with the hinges.

 

Ron

[Rustyj]

Great work JJ, She's looking wonderful!

[scrubbyj427]

Thank you Ron and Rusty and for all the likes.

Ron, I just used small copper wire for the nails/bolts and then filed them down to the size I wanted and then gave them a quick top sanding after I painted the hinges to expose them. They will slowly start oxidizing and turning brownish soon... especially in the salt air environment.

I plan to track down the brass recommended for the hinges and start building them after I finish the deck. I just got a small load of beautiful 5/16 planking cedar in from Chuck so I can finish those complex wider planks now... probably today.

JJ

 

[scrubbyj427]

I finished the center planking belt today. That was a real challenge, lots of potential for errors so taking lots of time is crucial! I must have test fit each of those outer planks about 50 times before finally gluing them down. I sanded them all down even and added wop. The remaining belts should go much smoother. 
JJ

[Rustyj]

Well done. That is the toughest part of the deck planking. The rest should go relatively smooth!

[Chuck]

That s looking great.  The wood worked out nicely.  Perfect grain pattern or should I say lack of grain pattern.  Those boards/planks look like butter!

[Matt D]

Your deck planking is looking great, JJ.  I like the red paint on the deck framing, too.  I don't think I've seen that on the others, but it looks sharp.  Are your coamings still loose, allowing you to remove them for sanding?  Or are you working with them glued in place?

[scrubbyj427]

Thanks Rusty, Chuck and Matt for the comments and all likes.

 

Chuck, thanks again for the wood! It worked perfect, I should get a very even finish for the rest of the deck now.

 

Matt, all the coamings are down permanent. I spent a ton of time getting them all in line. It would definitely be easier to do the sanding with them off but I managed with a small army of sanding sticks!

 

JJ

[Vladimir_Wairoa]

wonderful JJ. Hat off  

[jfhealey]

Brilliant work JJ - though those bolts an the mast partners definitely had too many shredded wheats for breakfast!

Fred

[scrubbyj427]

Thanks guys, appreciate it.

 

Fred, those bolts are going on a diet soon!

[scrubbyj427]

Back in the saddle again! Took 6 weeks to welcome my new baby boy into the world and now I’m back at work and therefore back at modeling. Got one side finished up and just one belt left on the other side. Should all be complete next week and then I can move onto all the guns and other fun stuff!...including removing those massive bolts!

 

JJ

[scrubbyj427]

Bolts and gun ports next.

 

[Chuck]

Nicely executed!!!

 

[scrubbyj427]

Thank you Chuck! And all the likes.

It was a little bit more challenging than expected but well worth it.

[FrankWouts]

Just wonderful, wonderful, I wonder if I can get this far and stay so clean and beautiful....

[scrubbyj427]

Thank you for the kind words Frank.

 

Made some progress up front, got cheeks and hair brackets completed. This was quite a project and involved many hours of sanding and test fitting. I’m still not happy with the hair bracket joints and may redo them... I’ll sleep on it a little longer.

 

one thing I found to make it a little easier with the frizzies was to glue them on prior to laminating the upper and lower cheeks, the same applies to the hair brackets. Once dry I gently sanded the excess off and then assembled them, this made the seams appear clean and sharp.

 

I still have some clean up work to do as well as finish the stbd side anchor line holes and a little paint touch up. On to guns and tackle next... probably post that update in about 6 months.

 

also made some poor attempts at better photography with the plans as a background white... lol... lots of room for improvement but I clearly see the benefits now!   

 

JJ

 

[jfhealey]

That's looking great JJ - but those bolt heads on the  mast partners haven't got any smaller yet!

Fred 

[Chuck]

Beautiful work…..just lovely.

[scrubbyj427]

Thank you Fred and Chuck and the likes.

the cheeks and hair brackets certainly are not easy but they are indeed worth the effort. If I were to do it again I think I would change a few things as the learning curve was pretty big on that one.

 

Fred, I knew you would spot those bolts!... don’t worry, I’m on it. I’ve got days of little messes to clean up before I move onto chapter 7.

 

JJ

[scrubbyj427]

Been plugging away at guns, hinges and metal work. Still a long way to go but it’s starting to shape up. Need to add more details to the carriages as well as tackle. I Also got the capstan sitting temporarily, may take a crack at the cherry one and see how it looks but I like the way the AYC one looks so far.

 

JJ

[Rustyj]

Hi JJ,

 

Just catching up on your build and everything looks great. 

[glbarlow]

Well done, another great reference log for when I start mine. 

[scrubbyj427]

Thanks Rusty and Glenn.

 

looking forward to some more updates on your Winnie, Rusty.

 

Glenn, your cheerful is a delight on the eyes, can’t wait to see your Winnie get going.

 

I finished up chapter 5 last week, took care of the rest of the  gun ports and the small stuff which is a convenient stopping point as my mobile shipyard has sold to new owners so my tools and supplies are packed and my Winnie is crated up in a wonderful smelling custom pine box.

Hopefully I’ll get back to her soon, but In the meantime I’m working on developing another project for the future, HMS Portland 1770, a 50 gun 4th rate at 1:48. I’m aiming for the Joseph marshal painting, similar to how the Winnie is built. I’m hoping to get the hull surfaced soon and the basic structure and framing built. 

JJ

[Matt D]

So I take it the new owners didn't keep the crew.  Have you lined up a new ship to go work on?  I take it you have a significant maritime resume and probably a lot of options for your next job.