HMS Speedy by Delf - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - Scale 1:64 - Master Shipwright edition

[DelF]

Thanks Sjors, and thanks for putting me right on the translation. I must have mis-remembered the story, because I'm sure the original anglicization would have been from the Dutch, as British sailors would probably have been more likely to hear Dutch sailors speaking than German ones. 

 

I'm enjoying using the airbrush, partly because it's a new toy, but also because it seems quicker and easier - especially with awkward shapes - and it gives a good, even finish with no brush marks. However I still like using brushes for some tasks.

 

Derek

[Vane]

Really nice work there on the Speedy!

Yes I agree, airbrushing takes the paintjob to a completely new level. Painting a ship with airbrush is also not that difficult. You just need to mask things, but the paint is just straight on. Wooden ships is not the same thing as plastic models where you do various cammo patterns and shades, highlightes and weathering.

[DelF]

Thanks Vane, much appreciated.

 

14 hours ago, Sjors said:

In Dutch we call it “jonge vrouw” young woman

I looked up 'euphroe' in Sailor's Word Book - A Dictionary of Nautical Terms by Admiral Smyth, published in 1867. The principal spelling is given as 'uvrou', which certainly sounds like a corruption of the Dutch (at least to an Englishman's ears!). I love the way an interest in model shipbuilding leads into so many other fascinating areas of maritime and social history. Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.

 

Derek

[glbarlow]

Personally I like fine brush strokes made from good paint with quality brushes. I enjoy the painting part of model building, plus I’m pretty good at it.  I admit painting spars with an airbrush may be appealing and I’ve always used a cheap one for painting cannon barrels. 

[glbarlow]

8 hours ago, DelF said:

I looked up 'euphroe' in Sailor's Word Book - A Dictionary of Nautical Terms by Admiral Smyth, published in 1867.

I’m trying to think what it means that you have or even know about a book with this title🤣😂

[Sjors]

Derek, i was lost in the mist with that uvrou.

So i look it up and maybe you know it all ready but here it is:

From The Collaborative International Dictionary

 

Euphroe or uphroe or uvrou.

A block or long slat of wood perforated for the passage of the crowfoot or cords by wich an awning is held up.

 

Now i need a drink!

 

Sjors

[Edwardkenway]

I'd been looking it up too, I found it in this book, and basically gave same description as Sjors got.

Patterson's Illustrated Nautical Dictionary, unabridged 1891.pdf

[DelF]

15 hours ago, glbarlow said:

Personally I like fine brush strokes made form good paint with quality brushes.

Horses for courses...

 

 

[DelF]

15 hours ago, glbarlow said:

I’m trying to think what it means that you have or even know about a book with this title🤣😂

It's a great book! One of several fine nautical dictionaries, including the one Edward kindly included in the previous post (none mention "sanding the rabbit's bottom" though 🐇😀) **

 

**other readers will need to visit Glenn's Lady Nelson  log for this reference.

[DelF]

The last word on euphroes (hopefully!).

 

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, euphroe comes from the Dutch juffrouw, meaning deadeye, which in turn comes from jong +  vrouw = young woman, as Sjors said. According to the OED, earlier Dutch forms of the term young woman  included yuffrouw, which sounds even closer to euphroe.

 

Now I need a drink!

[glbarlow]

6 hours ago, DelF said:

visit Glenn's Lady Nelson  log

In my defense autocorrect doesn’t know what a rabbet is and apparently doesn’t care if a rabbit’s bottom is sanded😳

[DelF]

...and I promise that’s the last time I’ll mention it. Honest 🤐😇!

[glbarlow]

22 hours ago, Sjors said:

A block or long slat of wood

 

8 hours ago, DelF said:

uphroe comes from the Dutch juffrouw,

 

20 hours ago, Edwardkenway said:

I'd been looking it up too

You guys have a lot of time on your hands 😄  I have very limited nautical knowledge as Derek will attest. I've always know this as that long skinny thingy with holes in it that the rope loops through back to the holes in the mast top thingy.  No dictionary used 😄

 

I may have to get the one Derek listed, I admit am frustrated sometimes not knowing what stuff is called - though thingy covers a lot of ground.

[DelF]

45 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

thingy covers a lot of ground.

...but don't forget, some thingies are whotsits, and others are oojimaflips. And don't get me on to doodahs! (If you've not already guessed, I'm on my third largish glass of red).

 

Derek

[Edwardkenway]

13 minutes ago, DelF said:

...but don't forget, some thingies are whotsits, and others are oojimaflips. And don't get me on to doodahs! (If you've not already guessed, I'm on my third largish glass of red).

 

Derek

Just don't forget the thingymabob that makes the wotchamacallit work!!

[glbarlow]

All those work for me. Surely they are in the dictionary. 
 

I hesitate to note I just ordered that book🤪

[glbarlow]

All those work for me. Surely they are in the dictionary. 
 

I hesitate to note I just ordered that book🤪

[bartley]

On 6/15/2020 at 6:53 AM, DelF said:

The method I used was to rub the PE with a fine sanding stick followed by a cloth dipped in isopropyl alcohol, before applying Brass Black. After a minute or so I rinsed the PE in cold water, separated the chainplates from the sheet, rubbed them gently with a dry cloth to remove any loose surface blackening and dipped them in Brass Black again for a minute before final rinsing.

 

To insert deadeyes you have to widen the loops in the deadeyes. I found the best way to do this was by slipping the chainplate over a tapered metal rod and pressing it down until the loop was wide enough. In this photo I'm using Glenn's doggy dental tool (again!):

 

 

 

  

 

Derek,

 

Far be it for me to provide advice to you.  Your work is excellent and I have learnt a lot from your builds.  However, I do know a thing or two about chemical blackening since I have a chemical background.   This reaction is actually very fast so if your blackening is taking 1 minute the surface is not clean enough.  On clean surfaces 10 to 20 seconds is enough.  The advantage of a clean surface is that the minimum amount of selenium is deposited (no flaking) and a very uniform blackening results.  Have a look at this post of mine which shows an extreme case of poor blackening

 

• Report post
•  
•  #35

Posted August 23

 

This is an example of a blackening problem which others may have experienced without knowing the reason.

 

These belaying pins were sold as being brass so on the right I used my usual technique of treating for 5 min with sodium hydrogen sulfate then blackening.  Even after about 1 min the result was poor.

On reflection they were very shiny so were probably lacquered. So on the left the treatment was: - rub with steel wool, soak in acetone for about 1 min, 5 min in sodium hydrogen sulfate then blackening. After only for 10 sec the result was excellent.

 

 

Incidentally, Sparex is just a very expensive packet of sodium hydrogen sulfate. So if you have access to the chemical itself it is much cheaper

 

John

 

[DelF]

Hi John

 

Thanks for taking the time to share this information, and for your kind comment about my builds.

 

I should have mentioned this in my log (so thanks for prompting me!) but I have stopped using the method I described earlier. The problem was precisely the speed of action of the blackening solution that you highlight. Because I was brushing the solution onto the PE components rather than dipping them all in one go, it took quite some time to cover them all both sides and edges.  The 'minute or so' I described was mostly the time it took to apply the Brass Black. By that time, many of the components would have extra deposits of black that would rub off. Rubbing the excess off with a cloth and repeating the process worked, but in the end I figured it would be at least as quick to separate the components from the sheet and dip them all together in smaller batches. 

 

Thanks again

 

Derek

[DelF]

Rigging the Spars

 

We should have been returning from Canada and Alaska about now, but that's had to be postponed 'til next year. Instead we're off to the beautiful North Yorkshire coast near Whitby, of Captain Cook and Dracula fame for a few days R & R. I'll sign off with a few notes about rigging the spars. There's a long way to go, but a lot of it is repetitive so I'll just highlight a couple of general points.

 

First off, the quality of the blocks is superb - better than any other commercial blocks I've come across. I've made a lot of my own boxwood blocks in the past but I can't match these:

 

 

If I was being slightly picky I would point out the limited number of sizes - for example the only single blocks are 3mm and 5mm (I bought 2mm blocks separately to rig the guns). A scratch builder might want to make a wider range to better reflect full size practice. At this scale I honestly don't think it'll stand out as a problem so I'm happy to go with the kit blocks.

 

As for the rigging line, the quality is reasonable if slightly furry. Running it through my fingers dipped in a 50:50 mix of PVA and water sorted that.  The kit supplies a good range of sizes in black and natural, the latter being a pleasing shade of off-white (ecru?). Certainly not the bright white that can spoil the look of an otherwise well-rigged model - to my eye, at least.

One odd point is that the plans often indicate that strops and other elements of standing rigging are to be made from natural thread. I can only assume a transcription error, as the photos in the manual clearly show black line being used where it should be.

 

On my previous build, Royal Caroline, I tried to follow full-size rigging practice as far as possible, for example serving strops where called for, and splicing eyes into the ends of strops so I could seize them round yards. I enjoyed it, but much of the work was virtually invisible, even at 1:48 scale. I will certainly carry some of that work forward into Speedy - for instance serving shrouds and stays where appropriate - but for less visible rigging elements I decided quick and easy was the way to go. 

 

So, to rig a block to a yard I just tied a short length of line round the block with a dab of ca to hold it in place. I then tied the line round the yard, making sure the simple half-knot was positioned where it would be least visible. Another blob of ca and trimming with a sharp scalpel blade and job done.

 

 

Where a ring is called for I first tied the line round a drill bit, in this case 1mm. With the drill bit still in place I tied the line round the block and proceeded as before:

 

 

 

On reflection, the ring is probably a tad too large - I might redo with a 0.8mm drill bit. (Edit: I've stiffened the rings with some fly-tying cement in the hope they'll retain their shape).

 

On rigging items that require seizing, like this brace pendant, I'm using the 18/0 fly fishing thread I've described before:

 

 

Right, off for that R & R!

 

Derek

 

 

[Edwardkenway]

Have a good trip Derek, Whitby is a lovely place and shouldn't be too busy!

I love the way to put a ring on a block, I'm going to have shamelessly borrow that method 

[DelF]

Thanks Edward. Just before I go I wanted to mention I stiffened the rings with fly tying cement in the hope they'd retain their shape. I've edited the log.

 

Derek

[DelF]

Mrs D. looks happier than Hector to be at Whitby Harbour. Note the clothes required for "Summer" in North Yorkshire!

 

Back to the dockyard tomorrow.

 

 

 

[Edwardkenway]

That's decent weather for whitby end of August/early September, at least it's not raining. Judging by the water it wasn't windy either😀

[DelF]

Rigging the spars - silver soldering repairs!

 

Back in the dockyard after R&R in North Yorkshire. I'm still working on rigging the 130+ blocks and deadeyes required on the masts and yards. Rather than a string of posts setting out repetitive detail I'll just focus on any out-of-the-ordinary points.  

 

First up, a spot of repair work caused by clumsiness, whereby I managed to break one of the stunsail boom irons on the main yard. These components start out as flat pieces of photo-etch, with a score mark that enables you to bend them into a right angle:

 

 

The score mark is a weak point, and unfortunately I bent the boom iron in question a couple of times by mistake when rigging the yard and I had to bend it back into shape once too often. I considered making a new iron from scratch but decided instead to try soldering the bits back together.

 

Silver soldering has become one of my favourite techniques for joining metal. I struggled with it initially until I discovered silver solder paste. This does away with the need for separate fluxes and solder and makes the whole process so much easier, at least for the tiny components I work with. I suspect model railway engineers handling large chunks of brass might have a different perspective! Here's the kit I use:

 

 

Along with the paste is a refillable gas torch and a fireproof brick. All are readily available from jewellers' suppliers and elsewhere. The paste comes in small tubes - usually about 10g - and seems quite expensive (eg here). However I've had mine years, soldered literally hundreds of items with it, and I hardly seem to have used any. For the boom iron I used a tiny speck, smaller than a pinhead. You can buy different grades of paste, usually rated easy, medium and hard depending on the temperature they flow at. That's an issue if you have to solder a joint close to an existing joint, the idea being that you do the first joint with a higher melting point solder than the second joint, so you don't disturb the first when you solder the second. However that is rarely an issue - I get by with 'easy' solder 99% of the time.  

 

There's lots of information and how-to videos on the web, but for me the key points are that the surfaces to be joined must be clean and in close contact. I used a fine file to clean the boom iron and laid the two pieces flat on the fire brick, touching and with the tiny blob of solder sitting on top of the join. With such tiny components I don't apply the heat directly to the work. If I did, the gas jet would probably blow the components off the fire brick and/or melt the brass. Instead, I aim the flame about one inch to the side of the work then slowly move it closer, circling round to heat the work evenly. You'll know when the work is hot enough, because the paste suddenly liquifies and is wicked into the join. 

 

 

It takes a bit of practice to get a 'feel' for this - for getting just the right amount of heat to the work without melting it -  but it's a lot easier to master than I thought it would be, and once you've got the hang of it it's a doddle. 

 

One of the great things about silver soldered joints is their strength. Once I'd soldered the boom iron I was able to bend it back into shape , confident that it would be as strong as an unbroken piece of brass.

 

 

If you've not tried silver soldering, or if you've tried it and given it up as too difficult (as I almost did), then I'd encourage you to give it a go. As I said, the game changer for me was silver solder paste.

 

Hope this was of some interest.

 

Derek

 

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

I agree Derek, my Silver solder kit is one of my most useful tools  when it comes to the 'ironwork'

The paste comes in different melting points which is useful when it comes to joining more than one item to one piece..

 

Envious of your Whitby trip, we should have been around there in July, but covid got in the way.

 

B.E.

[DelF]

19 hours ago, Blue Ensign said:

Envious of your Whitby trip

Glad to see from your Muirneag log that you were able to get a break in Devon - now I'm envious! 

 

Derek

[glbarlow]

Both of those places sound cold, but then I’m a Texan. We recently set a historic high for The Dallas area, 106 F, 41 C for those across the pond. That’s hot. Fortunately it was a one day thing.

 

Your a never ending source of skills Derek.  I think there is silver soldering in my future with Cheerful, the paste is something I’ll definitely try, I’ve only attempted it with the old spool of solder in the past with mixed result. 

[DelF]

40 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

106 F, 41 C

Wow, that’s hot! The UK Record is 38.7 C/ 101.7 F  set in July last year - and not in North Yorkshire! It got close to 100 where I live - I was painting a fence that day and had to retreat indoors for several restorative beers. 
 

44 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

the paste is something I’ll definitely try,

Great - it’s so useful for many aspects of our hobby. 
 

Derek

[DelF]

Rigging the spars - stropping blocks

 

Thanks as always for the likes and kind comments.

 

I should have said earlier, but one reason I'm not giving a blow-by-blow account of the rigging is that I've decided to follow the kit plans fairly closely, so anyone else building the model would learn little. On my previous fully-rigged ship, Royal Caroline, I did extensive research through the AOTS book on the royal yacht, Lees's Masting & Rigging and The Fully Framed Model (the 4th volume is great on rigging a 6th rate similar to RC). But that was primarily because the kit plans were so simplified and/or inaccurate, whereas I'm sure Chris has done the research needed to produce an accurate rigging plan for Speedy (so far as that is possible at 200+ years remove!). If I do decide to enhance the rigging in any way - anchor buoys is one possibility - I'll cover that in due course. 

 

Meanwhile I'll just stick to logging any unusual points, or points that might be of more general interest. Given that there are over 130 blocks and deadeyes to fit, I thought I'd say a little about the methods I'm using to strop them and fix them to the spars. Previously I mentioned the simple method I'm using where a block attaches directly to a yard (link here). However this method isn't always appropriate, for example where the knot would be visible or where you need more separation between the block and the spar. There are lots of ways people have developed to skin this particular cat; some, such as following full-size practice by making strops out of line spliced into seamless rings, lie outside my skill set. In the end I went for a variation on a method I first saw as a video, which in turn was based on this forum post by Bender. This technique works fine for larger blocks, but I found it fiddly for the many 3mm tiddlers on Speedy, and I thought the end result looked a bit clunky.

 

For my slightly modified method I used (for 3mm blocks) 0.25mm black line from the kit, 18/0 fly tying thread (as previously described) and thin CA. I normally use fly tying cement to fix rigging knots, but in this instance I decided I needed the added security of CA. This is because the seizing formed by the fly tying thread will only be 1 to 2mm wide and will need to hold the strop in place against any tension in the rigging. 

 

I started by seizing the block into a length of 0.25mm line, using the method I described when I was rigging the guns - ie knotting the thread alternatively above and below the line (link here). It can be difficult to snug the seizing tight up against the block, especially with thicker line, so I tried a couple of approaches. In the first picture below, I started the seizing a couple of mill away from the block and worked the seizing towards the block; in the second I wet the line with water and pinched it round the block with tweezers to get it to conform to the shape of the block better, then began the seizing as close as I could to the block and worked away:

 

The second result looks neater, and will produce a less clunky end product. In this example I'm seizing the block to a ring, so the next step is to thread the short length of line through the ring (much easier off the model!), fold it back over the block and hold the block and line together in the clip (unfortunately I only photographed this stage for the first seizing method, but the idea is the same):

 

 

The trick here is to fold back the line just enough to produce the gap you want between the block and the fitting.

 

Next, I repeated the over and under seizing, this time including the folded back line (this photo shows the result using a block stropped using the second seizing method):

 

 

After a tiny drop of thin CA and trimming:

 

 

The method works equally well with double blocks:

 

 

One variation that I touched on briefly before is where you need a ring in the strop. Initially I used a 1mm drill bit to make the ring but after deciding it was too large I substituted a 0.8mm needle. Soaking the rings in thin CA seems to keep their shape - you just have to be careful to move the line on the needle before it sets! Here, I'm doing four at once:

 

 

Economising

 

I started cutting 100mm/4 inch lengths of line for each strop but decided this was wasteful. Instead, I just used one end of a longer line, trimming it off close to the seizing when the CA had hardened. In this way I used less than 30 mm of line for each strop. May seem like penny pinching, but it actually makes your line go three times further.

 

By the way I can imagine some experienced modellers turning up their eyes at what they see as obvious points about rigging, but none of this stuff was obvious to me when I started, and if it helps one or two people then I'm happy.

 

I'm moving on to the bowsprit next which brings its own interesting challenges, for example with collars with one, two and four deadeyes seized into them. I'll cover that next.

 

Derek