US Brig Syren by WalrusGuy - FINISHED - Model Shipways - Scale 1:64 - Second wooden ship build

[WalrusGuy]

Slowly working through the deck fittings. 

 

Strips have been glued on the inside edge of the open hatch: 

Also prepared one of the shot racks (getting the small holes straight by hand is trickier than I thought...) 

Then used a round needle file as opposed to a drill to make the divots bigger, applied tung oil, then glued the cannonballs in place: 

 

[Keithbrad80]

As always nicely done!

[WalrusGuy]

Thank you Keith!! 😊 And thanks for all the likes!! 

 

I didn't realize that the deck details chapters had been split into the aft and forward parts of the ship, so I totally missed that I had to drill the anchor holes prior to gluing the gratings 😅. Glad I could still do this with them glued, but eventually the gratings popped out when drilling the holes so it made life easier (only used a couple drops of glue on the gratings if I had to remove them if needed 😁) 

 

So, holes were drilled, painted, and gratings stuck back on: 

All shot racks were also completed and glued to the deck. To align the cannon balls in a straight line took some getting used to. Basically, I dry fitted them on the shotrack, made a note on which ones were out of place with a tiny arrow on the wood to which direction they should be, and sanded with a round needle file accordingly. This ensured I ended up with somewhat of a straight line. 

[Overworked724]

Pristine work!  Wonderful build!!!  

[abelson]

Nice work on hatches, gratings, and shot racks. Looking good. I find the work of Chapter 12 to be a leisurely.

[WalrusGuy]

11 hours ago, Overworked724 said:

Pristine work!  Wonderful build!!!  

 

4 hours ago, abelson said:

Nice work on hatches, gratings, and shot racks. Looking good. I find the work of Chapter 12 to be a leisurely.

Thank you Patrick and Steven! The deck details are a lot of fun so I'm trying to savor it all by working through it slowly bit by bit 😁

[WalrusGuy]

Finished working on the capstan!! This part was trickier than I thought, especially installing the chocks.

I used a 1/4" dowel instead of the 5/32" dowel which was mentioned in the instructions. I think this may have been a typo since the 5/32 dowel did not match the width shown in the plans. 

 

Nevertheless, here are some pics and process: 

I first removed all the laser burn marks from the laser cut pieces: 

Glued the circles and cog like piece, and applied tung oil to the assembly. I also painted the top small circle black (shown after):

 

Glued the whelps (stuck first one followed by one opposite it, followed by one between the first two etc). 

 

Now for the chocks, very tricky at this scale. And don't get me started about basswood.......... It kept chipping when trying to cut it to shape.... Very frustrating!!! Anyhows, I managed to do it. You can probably tell in the photos I got used to cutting it since the bottom row looks a bit worse than the top. Overall I'm satisfied with it and don't want to touch this part again.. 

 

I ended up with the following method: 

First divide the 1/32x1/8 plank into 2 1/16" wide planks. Then cut out a trapezoidal piece. Make sure the skinnier part of trapezoid fits in the gap

Here's a pencil for scale: 

Curve the long edges with a file to create a messy looking piece 😅😂

Apply tung oil and glue into position. 

After these annoying pieces were glued, the assembly was glued together: 

 

 

[WalrusGuy]

And some pics of it glued on the ship: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NovaStorm]

That is really coming together. I will have to redo my capstan I used the 5/32 dowel and it is to skinny. Yours looks great!

[Gahm]

In my opinion the capstan is always a highlight of the deck features. Yours turned out very nicely! 

 

Thomas 

[WalrusGuy]

6 hours ago, NovaStorm said:

That is really coming together. I will have to redo my capstan I used the 5/32 dowel and it is to skinny. Yours looks great!

 

3 hours ago, Gahm said:

In my opinion the capstan is always a highlight of the deck features. Yours turned out very nicely! 

 

Thomas 

Many thanks for the nice comments Robin and Thomas! 😃

[NovaStorm]

Btw forgot to mention but your blocks and all your fittings are first rate    You really did an awesome job on those tiny blocks!

[WalrusGuy]

Thanks Robin!! Those blocks took a toll on me. Didnt realize they were many until I had to sand them and drill holes for the hooks. 

 

I completed making the ladder for the companionway. It was good practice for the ladders that will come on the deck. 

 

And with lego 😁

Edited November 7, 2020 by WalrusGuy
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[abelson]

Nice work on the capstan. I share your anguish with the chocks. Some how we work through it and the end result is satisfying.

[Gahm]

Your captain seems to be very satisfied with the shipyard's work . . . although he may have problems getting down the ladder to the companionway 😊

 

Thomas

[WalrusGuy]

3 hours ago, abelson said:

Nice work on the capstan. I share your anguish with the chocks. Some how we work through it and the end result is satisfying.

 

3 hours ago, Gahm said:

Your captain seems to be very satisfied with the shipyard's work . . . although he may have problems getting down the ladder to the companionway 😊

 

Thomas

Thank you for the awesome comments Steven and Thomas! Yeaup, just got to work through it and results will show 😁 

 

Thomas, I keep telling the captain he needs to lose weight to enter the companionway, but he wouldn't listen. He thinks the crew is hiding something from him inside since he's unable to enter 

[Retired guy]

Always a pleasure to look in on your build, great progress Wally 👍

 

Regards

Richard

[WalrusGuy]

Many thanks Richard! 

 

Finished with the companionway. I carved the door to create some more detail using the same method as the head rails. I also opted for framing the outer structure, similar to what Robin and Thomas did on their builds. Here are some pics 

 

Edited November 7, 2020 by WalrusGuy
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[NovaStorm]

That looks fantastic next to that capstan. Don't wanna trade capstan's do you?

[Gahm]

Your capstan and companionway make a beautiful combination!

 

Thomas

[WalrusGuy]

12 hours ago, NovaStorm said:

That looks fantastic next to that capstan. Don't wanna trade capstan's do you?

 

8 hours ago, Gahm said:

Your capstan and companionway make a beautiful combination!

 

Thomas

Many thanks Robin and Thomas for the great comments! As always, much appreciated!! And thanks all for the likes!

 

Robin, I would be lying if I said I didn't want to trade, especially with the crisp pear one you are scratch building! 😉

[WalrusGuy]

Started making the binnacle. I took Thomas's one as a guide when making mine. Here are some progress pics: 

The top is not yet glued: 

I'm thinking of skipping making the three lower drawers since I prefer the cleaner look without them. Or do y'all think it will look better with them on? 

 

For the top drawer, does anyone how to make nice looking handles? I'm trying out using wire dipped in CA glue and painted black (similar to how the handles were made for the carronade pins), and will post pics if they look ok. I tried using nails with the heads filed away to look smaller, but they looked very oversized. 

Edited November 7, 2020 by WalrusGuy
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[NovaStorm]

That is looking good. I like your design better too without the lower drawers.  You didn't drill the holes to allow light from the right and left lamp boxes to enter the compass box in the center. I did the same thing on my mock up. 

[Gahm]

The binnacle is a very nice little project, and it is one of the more prominent deck details. Yours is coming along beautifully!

 

Thomas

[WalrusGuy]

On 10/29/2020 at 3:36 AM, NovaStorm said:

That is looking good. I like your design better too without the lower drawers.  You didn't drill the holes to allow light from the right and left lamp boxes to enter the compass box in the center. I did the same thing on my mock up. 

 

On 10/29/2020 at 4:59 AM, Gahm said:

The binnacle is a very nice little project, and it is one of the more prominent deck details. Yours is coming along beautifully!

 

Thomas

Thanks for the comments!

 

I was also contemplating on the holes for the inner compartment walls, but ended up not including it, mainly because of the limitations of basswood. Even with a 0.5mm hole, I keep splitting the wood!!! 😣

 

Also, I think the CA method works for the handles. I may end up using these unless anyone has other suggestions 

Edited November 7, 2020 by WalrusGuy
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[NovaStorm]

Yea those look real good! 

[WalrusGuy]

I glued in the handles and the top drawers onto the binnacle. The top has not yet been glued as I want to try putting in a tiny compass in the middle. Let me know if there's anything I can improve on it!

Next steps are making the compass, finishing the side simulated cabinets, and attaching the bell

 

Edited November 7, 2020 by WalrusGuy
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[Overworked724]

4 hours ago, WalrusGuy said:

Let me know if there's anything I can improve on it....

Flat screen TV with satellite dish!!!  (Kidding)

 

brilliant work!!!!!

[Matt D]

That looks fantastic!  It had to be hard, given how tiny it is.

[WalrusGuy]

On 10/29/2020 at 4:42 PM, Overworked724 said:

Flat screen TV with satellite dish!!!  (Kidding)

 

brilliant work!!!!!

Well I did the next best thing, ie. making the compass. Hoping it entertained the sailors back then 😁 

 

On 10/29/2020 at 5:00 PM, Matt D said:

That looks fantastic!  It had to be hard, given how tiny it is.

Thanks Matt! The hardest part about the scale is dealing with basswood.... Keeps cracking when the smallest bit of pressure is applied!! 

Edited November 7, 2020 by WalrusGuy
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