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

[DelF]

More diversions

 

Having finished the deck and looking ahead in the manual, I realised there are literally hundreds more components needed to complete the hull - ring bolts, pin racks, swivel guns and so on. I'd already concluded after trying to blacken the PE components on the cannon that there are too many small items to use treatments like Brass Black with any success. Unless you do them in very small batches which would take forever. Which leaves painting. Using a brush either puts too much paint on or takes a long time or both, so I've decided to have a go at airbrushing. I've never used an airbrush, but looking at other people's logs it's clearly a useful technique to have. I've been researching on the forum and the Web more generally, and I've decided to go cheap initially, at least until I've learnt the basics. In another topic I saw that Glenn uses a Badger airbrush, a brand that seems to get good reviews so I'll probably go for that, together with a decent compressor. Watch this space. 

 

The belaying pin racks are laser cut from 1.5mm pearwood, and in the manual they're shown painted red to match the bulwarks. I thought I'd go off piste again and make my own out of spare boxwood. Cutting them out and drilling the holes probably took little longer than sanding the laser char and painting the supplied racks. I'm mentioning it partly because it's a good way to illustrate another useful feature of milling machines - the ability to drill very accurate, precisely positioned holes. The drill bit here is 0.6mm and the holes exactly 3.4mm apart:

Here's the first one fitted:

Back to the garden for a spot of sunbathing, I think.

 

Derek

[Vane]

You have a great build there! I can really recommend airbrushing. I got myself one a few months ago and everything looks so much better. Only problem is I also got myself some plastic kits to practice on and now I just got so many projects that is slowing down the progress on my boats. :-P  

[DelF]

Thanks! My airbrush arrived today and I’m looking forward to trying it out tomorrow. No doubt I’ll be coming to the forum for tips and advice 🤔

[DelF]

Well, so far so good with the new airbrush. In the end I went for this cheap(ish) airbrush/compressor combo from Amazon. I started off with zero knowledge and the best of intentions (go ultra cheap and don't buy a compressor first off) but soon got seduced by all the shiny expensive gear you can get - £200 airbrushes and compressors with big tanks and so on. Fortunately I was brought back to earth through watching and reading a lot on the web, much of it from plastic modelling fora. In the end the much more modest gear I went for got reasonable reviews and I took the plunge:

 

In use, the compressor tucks away on a shelf beneath my workbench, and the hose is plenty long enough to use comfortably on the bench. The machine is much quieter than I expected, and the airbrush itself seems well-made and comfortable to hold. Here's my first attempt - one of Speedy's swivel guns:

I was so keen to get started I used ordinary black not dull metal black, so I may have to redo. Nevertheless I was quite pleased for a first attempt. 

 

Now I'll just have to resist the temptation to start plastic kit modelling like Vane and so many other forum members!

 

Derek

 

[VTHokiEE]

That looks really nice! I'm quite tempted to pick up an airbrush as well; about how long does cleaning the brush take when you're all done?

[Vane]

I need to add another layer before its finished but its so much more smoother and have no brushstrokes. 

 

It takes times to become friends with your airbrush, cleaning is one thing but also airpressure and thinning,  various types of paint etc. I would recommend to look into plastic forums to get better tips because its a world of its own. 

[DelF]

3 hours ago, VTHokiEE said:

about how long does cleaning the brush take when you're all done?

Bear in mind I've just watched a few youtube videos and cleaned my airbrush once, so I'm no expert! Based on that limited knowledge, it takes less than a minute to do a quick clean between different coloured paints and 5 to 10 minutes to do a more thorough clean after you've finished a session. Not onerous but apparently essential to avoid problems with clogging, especially as nozzles are so fine. Typically 0.2 to 0.5mm. Vane says in the previous post that it takes time to get used to using an airbrush, so I aim to get as much practice in as I can. I already think I made the right decision though, to try airbrushing.

 

Derek

[DelF]

3 hours ago, Vane said:

I would recommend to look into plastic forums to get better tips because its a world of its own. 

Thanks Vane. Looking at youtube I was surprised to see how popular plastic modelling still is - probably more so than wood. It's just a pity that so many of the presenters are long-winded and haven't a clue how to make good videos. There are some good ones and some of the awful ones are still worth watching as they may contain useful information, but it can be quite hard to sort the wheat from the chaff.

 

Derek 

[Edwardkenway]

I'm really tempted to get an airbrush  so very interested to see how someone just starting out with one gets on, as most of the people with them have quite a bit of experience under their belt.

[DelF]

Hi Edward

 

I'll let you know. I'm just waiting for some supplies of paint and thinners then I'll get started in earnest. So far I'm going through the usual stages in the learning curve starting with unconscious ignorance (I really didn't realise how much I didn't know) and I'm now floundering in conscious ignorance - starting to realise just how much there is I don't know! Being an impatient sort I cut through the confusion by simply buying an airbrush and compressor that had attracted a couple of good recommendations, plugging it in and trying it. So it was with some relief today that I found that it worked and seemed to work quite well. I'm sure I've got a lot still to learn, but I'm going to have fun getting to grips with a new skill. 

 

Derek

[Vane]

The problem as a beginner is that usually the airbrush works fine just as you put some paint in it and press the trigger. Then after a while, the fine flow of paint suddenly is not so fine anymore. It might even not come out any paint at all. Then you need to figure out whats wrong and correct it. Sounds easy? Well, everything needs to be balanced right. That is what requires practice. Spraying is not that difficult, but so many varibles affect the flow of paint have making sure everything has the right setting is key.   

[glbarlow]

I sort of like painting by hand. My airbrush work is limited to cannon and some PE. 
 

I have that problem with keeping the flow consistent, but don’t practice enough to fix that. 

[usedtosail]

Well said Vane. That has been exactly my experience.

[DelF]

Whilst waiting for paints and primer to arrive for the new airbrush I decided to have another look at chemical blackening. I've used this successfully in the past, including with the small photo etched parts for Speedy's pumps, but I came unstuck when I tried to blacken the ringbolts and cap squares for Speedy's cannon. The problem was I had been trying to treat some 70 tiny components in one go, and I simply couldn't agitate the fluid enough to blacken them evenly.

 

I'm sure the solution will be obvious to more experienced folk, but the lightbulb moment didn't come for me until I re-read the Brass Black instructions and found you don't need to submerge your components in the liquid - you can just brush it on.  So, I realised I could treat PE parts before separating them from the sheet. In most cases, for example with ringbolts,  the untreated metal revealed when you remove them from the sheet will be hidden. Otherwise, there will just be a minor touch up required. Here's my first attempt, with half a dozen ringbolts. I started by running a very fine sanding stick over the parts then wiping them with acetone to remove any remaining grease, then applied the Brass Black with the green applicator in the picture. This applies a tiny amount of liquid, but it proved sufficient for the job.

It took two applications to get the depth of black shown here. I'm in two minds whether to rely just on Brass Black, or to use the blackening as a primer for airbrushing. I'll experiment a bit more when I get the airbrush paint. 

 

 

Derek

[DelF]

Ground Tackle

 

Still waiting for paint to arrive so I've had a go at the anchors. The cast metal parts are OK - the pattern and proportions look correct, and it only needed a small amount of fettling to get rid of any casting marks. However I felt the anchor stocks were slightly under-sized, and they only tapered in one dimension rather than two. So, out with some spare pear wood left over from another build. I decided to follow full-scale practice and construct each stock in two halves, which resulted in eight pieces, each 60 X 5 X 2.5 mm for the four anchors. I used the trusty Proxxon mill to taper the pieces to the correct angle:

 

The front face and the bottom of the stock had to be cut at slightly different angles. In each case I prepared a piece of wood to support the stock at the required angle:

 

Once the mill was set at the correct depth for the first angle all pieces were milled without further adjustment. Then the setup was changed for the second angle and the process repeated.

Making the stock in two halves ensured it was easy to mill a square hole for the shank:

 

I used a dull point pressed in the stock to simulate bolts then used shrink wrap tube for the iron bands:

Trying the anchor for size:

 

Quite happy with that. 

 

The good news is, some paint was delivered while I was working on the anchors this morning so I should be able to get on with airbrushing. Yippeee!

 

Derek

 

[DelF]

Had my first serious go at airbrushing today, starting with priming the anchors:

The unpainted bits on the shanks are where I held the anchors - that part will be covered by the stocks. I then sprayed the hatch covers, the swivel guns and finally the anchor top coat.:

Once I'd realised that you need to control the paint flow quite carefully - a light misting being preferred to a heavy coat - I was able to paint the swivels far more quickly than I'd have managed with a brush, and with a much smoother coating that doesn't hide any details. You'll have to take my word for that as I can't take a decent closeup with my iphone!

 

The anchors went well, although to be honest a brush would probably have been as easy. Similarly, I tried airbrushing the pearwood channels but the result wasn't noticeably better than brushing. 

 

However the gratings were much easier with the airbrush, although I noticed when they dried that they're not quite evenly coated. Another quick go should sort that.

 

Cleaning the airbrush after use is a pain and took me about ten minutes, but like anything I expect it will get easier with practice.

 

Overall I'm quite pleased.

 

Derek

[glbarlow]

Now use the airbrush to paint your mill and the mill to carve your initials in the airbrush 🤣😂

[DelF]

👍

[Nunnehi (Don)]

You are building a beautiful ship!

 

Don

[Bill Morrison]

I think that Chris said it best when he called your Speedy "superb"!

 

Bill

[DelF]

Thank you Don and Bill - much appreciated, and thanks as always for all the likes.

 

I got on with the channels, deadeyes and chainplates today. 

 

The laser-cut channels were easy to fit, being perfectly matched to the curve of the hull. I followed the advice in the instructions and drilled holes for short pins in the back edges of the channels to make them extra secure. The chainplates came as photo etch parts and I decided to use blackening solution rather than paint, as described in an earlier post:

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!):

Once the deadeye was in place I use my fine-nose pliers to pinch the loop back up:

Here's the port side in place. I've not nailed the chainplates in position - once I've completed the starboard side I'll fit the masts temporarily so I can line the chainplates properly up with the shrouds.

 

I must say I'm impressed with the quality of the deadeyes and rigging blocks that come with Speedy - much better than other kits I've had. Btw, you can see in the photo that I've started the long and laborious process of fitting all the ironwork associated with the cannon - four rings in the bulwarks and one in the deck for each gun - ie ten pieces of photo etch for each of the 14 cannon. These I airbrushed for speed, which seemed to work very well. 

 

Derek

 

  

 

[VTHokiEE]

It’s looking great! I’ve started placing the ironwork for the cannons on my build (not a Speedy) as well and wow there are a lot of small pieces to make... I think I’m going to regret my decision to rig the guns, that is until they are rigged and done then I’ll be really glad that I did 🙂.

[DelF]

11 hours ago, VTHokiEE said:

I think I’m going to regret my decision to rig the guns, that is until they are rigged and done then I’ll be really glad that I did 🙂.

 

Do you plan to fully rig your guns on Alert?  I'll certainly do the breeching but I'm not sure about the training tackle, especially at 1:64 scale. I might experiment a bit, but I suspect I'll struggle to get the tackle to look right at that scale, and if I don't  I think it could detract from the model. What do you think?

 

Derek 

[VTHokiEE]

I’ll have to apologize for my lack of understanding all the terminology (edit - so I’m unsure which is the training tackle). My AotS Alert book calls out the breeching rope, gun tackle, and traversing tackle. I plan on doing the breeching rope and gun tackle (I don’t currently plan on doing the traversing tackle though). 
 

For the guns I’m pretty much following BE’s log to a T here: 

It looked so good to me I couldn’t not do it and most seemed to like the scale. Hopefully I get it close to his.

[DelF]

I suspect I got the terminology wrong, so the apology is mine.

 

When I referred to training tackle I meant the rigging Blue Ensign calls side tackle. There's a very good review of cannon rigging here, in which the side tackle is called the outhaul tackle (because it is used to haul the gun outwards through the gunport) and also the gun tackle. The tackle used to haul the gun inboard is variously called the inhaul tackle and the training tackle. 

 

I think my confusion was caused because the gun/outhaul tackle can also be used to train (i.e. traverse) the gun. Confusing? Just a bit!

 

Looking at Blue Ensign's Alert makes me tempted to try full rigging. On the other hand, Speedy has 14 4-pounders which will present an even greater challenge than Alert's 10 6-pounders. Decisions, decisions.

 

Derek

 

 

[VTHokiEE]

That's a great link, bookmarked now, thanks for posting it! I didn't realize that Speedy had smaller guns. I mistakenly assumed that larger (more masts) meant bigger guns. If there isn't a good block made at that scale then I'd probably pass. I did find some nice hooks at hismodel for my Alert (they took a long while to arrive though) if you do go down the fully rigged path.

[glbarlow]

6 hours ago, DelF said:

I'm not sure about the training tackle, especially at 1:64 scale.

I did full rigging for Pegasus, Granado, and Pickle. While it is hard and scale is a challenge it is worth it. With as good a job as you’re doing on Speedy I think you’d later regret not doing it. I’m looking forward to it for Cheerful at 1:48. 

[glbarlow]

1 hour ago, VTHokiEE said:

good block made at that scale

Chuck sells a 2.5mm block that will work for cannon rigging 

[DelF]

OK, I can see I'm not going to get away without at least trying to rig the guns. 

 

Glenn - I think even 2.5mm blocks would be over-scale for 4-pounders. They'd be over 6 inches. Chris suggests 2.0mm which equates to almost exactly 5 inches. Not a huge difference, but I think it would show on such small cannon. I normally like to make my own blocks and I've previously tried 2mm but with very limited success. I've therefore ordered some 2mm pearwood blocks from Chris and I'll experiment. 

 

I'll blame you and VTH if I'm still struggling and cursing in a month's time😀.

 

Derek

[DelF]

5 hours ago, DelF said:

I suspect I got the terminology wrong

I've just noticed in the Speedy instruction manual that Chris refers to the inhaul and outhaul tackle collectively as the training tackle. Probably where I got it from. My excuse anyway.

 

Derek