Barque Stefano by robdurant - MarisStella - 1:63

[rwiederrich]

Great progress....love the masting work.

 

Rob

[robdurant]

Hi all,

 

Thank you for all the likes, and for your kind words @rwiederrich. 

 

I have completed turning the masts, topmasts, and topgallant masts now, and begun detailing them. The cross trees have been made up for the fore and main masts, and so the top gallant masts are now stepped (albeit this is all dry fitted at the moment.) The mast bands are added using black card.

 

I've also started to turn spars with the mizzen gaff and boom.

That's it for now  

 

[robdurant]

Hi all, 

 

Thanks, as always, for the likes  

 

I finally worked out how I wanted to do the doors for the superstructures and the companions, so those are done. They're made out of two layers of styrene with tabs left on to attach them to the cabin walls.

 

Caldercraft nails were used for the door knobs...

 

Before I could put the doors into the fore cabin, it needed a floor, which was made of 0.5x10mm walnut...

 

Then doors were added to the main companionway.

 

Next, I turned my attention back to the masts, and simulated the sheaves in the maintop mast.

 

I added the iron banding round the main mast cap, and the eyelets. I added the fid using brass wire (cleverly the location of this is laser-etched into the fore and aft beams of the cross trees. And then the whole was given a couple of coats of paint.

 

Finally, I turned the jib-boom, and added the block and seat. I've added a short length of brass wire into back of the jib boom that goes into the block at the back to add strength. I know I'm going to knock it at some point, and I want to give it a good chance of withstanding my clumsiness as and when that happens. The seat that sits between the bowsprit and jib boom needs sanding, but it was quite fragile, so I wanted to glue it in place on the bowsprit before sanding it to add strength.

That's it for today

 

Happy building

 

Rob

 

 

[rwiederrich]

On 6/21/2022 at 7:59 AM, robdurant said:

Hi all, 

 

Thanks, as always, for the likes  

 

I finally worked out how I wanted to do the doors for the superstructures and the companions, so those are done. They're made out of two layers of styrene with tabs left on to attach them to the cabin walls.

 

Caldercraft nails were used for the door knobs...

 

Before I could put the doors into the fore cabin, it needed a floor, which was made of 0.5x10mm walnut...

 

Then doors were added to the main companionway.

 

Next, I turned my attention back to the masts, and simulated the sheaves in the maintop mast.

 

I added the iron banding round the main mast cap, and the eyelets. I added the fid using brass wire (cleverly the location of this is laser-etched into the fore and aft beams of the cross trees. And then the whole was given a couple of coats of paint.

 

Finally, I turned the jib-boom, and added the block and seat. I've added a short length of brass wire into back of the jib boom that goes into the block at the back to add strength. I know I'm going to knock it at some point, and I want to give it a good chance of withstanding my clumsiness as and when that happens. The seat that sits between the bowsprit and jib boom needs sanding, but it was quite fragile, so I wanted to glue it in place on the bowsprit before sanding it to add strength.

That's it for today

 

Happy building

 

Rob

 

 

Looking good Rob...protect what you can.  I know, when I have to flip Glory around...I have to pick her up....leave the small shop and turn around in the next room, and then come in and place her on the bench in the opposite direction.   I have so many things that can be bumped and broken....and my bowsprit is stickn out there, ripe for breaking.  However, I am so diligent in the process of *flippin*, that I take my time and make sure my appendages are all accounted for before I make any moves.

 

Your hull is quite large...larger then I had originally thought.  Well done.

 

Rob

[robdurant]

Thank you @rwiederrich. Yes, I have to do a walk into the kitchen to turn the boat these days... Ethalion is still sat at the other end of the bench, so not enough room to slide Stefano round the corner to see the other side these days... 

 

While the weather is so exceptionally fine, it seemed like a good moment to take some photos of the whole... Bearing in mind that so much of it is only placed in place at the moment, Stefano's not looking too shabby

 

At some point, I shall try and get some reasonable photos of Ethalion and Stefano side by side - that really would be a fascinating comparison, but Ethalion is protected behind dust covers at the moment, so it will have to wait.

[gak1965]

Looking great! Rigging ho!

[robdurant]

3 hours ago, gak1965 said:

Looking great! Rigging ho!

Thanks @gak1965. I enjoy the rigging, so it's nice to be getting closer to that stage. There'll be a lot of rope making ahead!

[rwiederrich]

11 hours ago, robdurant said:

Thanks @gak1965. I enjoy the rigging, so it's nice to be getting closer to that stage. There'll be a lot of rope making ahead!

Rope making....?  That's one trail I'll never go down.  I want to finish my model before I completely fossilize.   I have other models to build before that inevitable day.

 

Great work on her Rob.

 

Rob

[robdurant]

1 hour ago, rwiederrich said:

Rope making....?  That's one trail I'll never go down.  I want to finish my model before I completely fossilize.   I have other models to build before that inevitable day.

 

It's pretty quick once you get going... 5 minutes for a 14ft length of rope... and a whole lot cheaper than buying it I just need to master dyeing the darker rope for the standing rigging. 

 

Below is a shop bought rope on the left and my rope on the right... I couldn't go back

 

Edited June 23, 2022 by robdurant

[rwiederrich]

20 minutes ago, robdurant said:

It's pretty quick once you get going... 5 minutes for a 14ft length of rope... and a whole lot cheaper than buying it I just need to master dyeing the darker rope for the standing rigging. 

 

Below is a shop bought rope on the left and my rope on the right... I couldn't go back

 

Beautiful.....  In your scale that will work well....I'm sure, but in my scale I use rope not much bigger then sewing thread.  That would be like braiding spider silk.

 

Can't wait to see you use this rope on your model.

 

Rob

 

 

[gak1965]

This is probably a really dumb question, but do you know why Maris Stella chose 1:63 rather than 1:64 which, which, while somewhat arbitrary, at least makes sense to convert at scale using imperial units?

 

Regards,

George

[robdurant]

59 minutes ago, gak1965 said:

do you know why Maris Stella chose 1:63 rather than 1:64

I don't. That would be a question for @MarisStella.hr . I have noticed that in various places on the plans there are detailed sections shown in 1:21, which obviously works better at 1:63 than 1:64, but yes, it doesn't work quite as well for imperial as 1:64 / 1' = 3/16". Thankfully I'm of the generation that was taught both metric and imperial at school in the UK, so neither phase me too much.

 

1 hour ago, rwiederrich said:

in my scale I use rope not much bigger then sewing thread

Thanks Rob, That makes perfect sense. I am enjoying watching your Glory of the Seas come together no end.

[robdurant]

Definitely time for an update... I've got somewhat behind in the updates so it might be a couple of posts.

 

First off was the bowsprit detailing, and in particular the dolphin-striker.

 

This was shaped from 2mm brass wire, tapered at either end, and then bent into a hook shape at the top.

Once shaped, fittings needed to be soldered on. Four hooks, two on either side of the striker, act as guides for the various rigging lines that pass by the striker. Then chains attach towards the bottom end of the striker. There is a beautiful, fine piece of photo etch that is supposed to sit on the front of the striker as an attachment point. I tried to use this, but I was clearly too clumsy as it crumbled in my hands before I had the chance to try and fit it to the striker. I struggle to imagine it would have held up to having the chains attached, and almost certainly wouldn't have stood up to my rigging process. Instead, I fashioned a simple strap using copper offcuts from the hull tiling fret) that formed two anchor points, one in front and one behind the striker.

 

 

 

It looks appropriate delicate, but is actually quite sturdy, so I feel much more confident this will do the job. More progress has been made, but I'll post another update after dinner

 

Happy building

 

Rob

[robdurant]

Thanks for the likes. 

 

Having worked on the dolphin striker, I added the sheaves, eyelets and bands around the bowsprit and the main topmast, and painted the white sections.

 

The sheaves that mount to the sides of the bowsprit are made from photoetch, and I found this a challenge again. Holes are etched in to allow the structure to be mounted to the bowsprit, but the gap between the holes was so thin that I found it impossible to bend the photo-etch without it bending where the holes were. Instead, I made my own band to go round the sheave.

 

Here is the photoetch part...

And here's how it looked after I'd tried to bend it (those who are more au-fait with photo-etch may well see what I'd done wrong here?)

And the part I eventually made from copper...

And here is the finished bowsprit (with the dolphin striker fitted but only half completed)

And the topmast to topgtmast transition now detailed...

[robdurant]

Finally, I made up the rail that forms the attachment point for the gaff sail on the mizzen mast. This is made from brass photo etch eyes and brass rod, and marked the positions onto balsa which was used to hold the parts while they were soldered. By transferring the positions onto masking tape, they could then be moved onto the mizzen mast to ensure the holes were drilled in the right positions.

 

The rail was sprayed black before fitting.

 

I have turned the yards for the main mast, and here is a photo of the main yard taped in position... Having turned this yard, and left it in place as shown, I went out for lunch, came back and it had completely disappeared. Eventually, I realised it had rolled down the back of my boat building table behind a row of cabinets... 45 minutes later, I'd finally retrieved it... to my great relief.

 

 

[robdurant]

A new post, because this progress is completely unrelated to the posts above. I've been working on making sails with modelspann... I've made a frame to allow the tissue to be prepared from wood with card corners to strengthen in...

And I've been working on the ship's boats again, finishing off the planking of 71.1 the largest boat, hollowing it out, and adding clinkering using paper on the outside.

 

 

The next step with these will be to detail them (the part on the left above will form the floor of the boat, but before that goes in I need to add ribs. I'm pleased with how it's going so far. 

 

Right - sorry for so many updates... I'll try and keep up a bit better in future.

[robdurant]

Hi all,

 

Thanks for all the likes. A very brief post today. I haven't stalled completely, but holidays have caused the shipyard to slow to a crawl. I've now planked three of the ship's boats with the thin walnut, and covered two of those with paper "planking" to create a clinker effect.

 

In addition, I've made a start on a Dusek Bireme, as a much more portable holiday project that I can take away with me (she's 39 centimetres from bow to stern). There are excellent build logs on that kit already on the forum, so I'm planning on just enjoying that one as a build, rather than posting a log, unless anyone particularly wants me to put up some pictures. Here is one of progress so far, however. I've got a link to the pictures I'm taking of the build in my signature (or click here "ἈΘΗΝΑ (Athena) (6th Century B.C.) Greek Bireme").

Edited August 13, 2022 by robdurant

[robdurant]

Right, an update is long overdue. Not a huge amount to show on Stefano, as I'm working to finish off the Greek Bireme I'm building for my wife... 

 

I've finished putting the eyelets onto the masts. 

 

There's still some detailing to be done, but they're getting there.

 

In Greek-Bireme-land, things are moving ahead, too... I'm making oars now... one by one, by one, by one.... 

More soon, hopefully.

 

Happy building to you all.

 

Rob

 

Edited November 5, 2022 by robdurant

[BobG]

6 hours ago, robdurant said:

I'm working to finish off the Greek Bireme I'm building for my wife... 

That's a beautiful looking ship also!

[robdurant]

4 hours ago, BobG said:

That's a beautiful looking ship also!

Thank you Bob. A simple build, but a very enjoyable one.

[robdurant]

Well, life gets busy, and suddenly months have passed. I've finally finished the Greek Bireme, which I've named Ἀθηνα (Athena). It has the Owl sail, and will soon be setting sail for its new home. I haven't taken the final pictures yet, but I'll post a couple here when I do.

 

Having finished the Bireme, I'm now able to pick up work on Stefano, which I'll admit I was somewhat daunted by. Today I've managed to get my head back into the things I was trying to accomplish.

 

The cleats (part 70) are 2mm walnut, and I was concerned they would simply disintegrate or pull off the rail when they had rigging attached to them, so I've replaced them with some metal cleats I had left over from my Ethalion build. These have a 1mm rod on the bottom that provides for a stronger connection.

 

 

 

I've also picked up the work on the lifeboats and adding the lifeboat stands to the forward deckhouse roof.

 Only a little progress, but it's good to be moving forward again.

 

Happy building, to you all, and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

 

Rob

[robdurant]

As promised, albeit slightly off-topic - here are a couple of photos of the Bireme I've just completed...

 

I'm really pleased with the results. Not perfect, but pleasing, nonetheless, and not too bad for a first attempt at a rowed vessel. Happy building to you all

 

Rob

[robdurant]

Happy Christmas everyone.

 

I have a little progress to report. I've almost finished the ship's boats, and I've added the stands to the deck house roofs.

I've also been working on rope-making. I've worked out the combinations I want to use for some of the standing rigging now, using the rope-rocket. Namely:

 

Lower mast stays: 4 strands at 2 threads per strand of No. 50 DMC Cordonnet crochet thread (makes 1.1mm rope)

 

This is then coloured using Rit Cocoa Brown dye (I tried using Colron wood dye, but it seemed to have very little effect on the rope) - approximately 1 tsp of dye for 500ml water, with a few drops of washing-up liquid. This is heated gently on the hob, and then the rope dipped in it. I tried simply dipping the rope in, but it tangles horribly. I've also tried drawing it through, but this is horribly messy. Finally, I tried making hanging the rope loosely coiled from brass wire - this allows me to dip it and draw it all out in one go.

I've also been working out the best way to do the sails, but I'll post that as a separate entry.

[robdurant]

I've spent a while trying to work out how I could paint modelspan to represent sail cloth, but I seem not to have the knack, so having worked my way through a fair bit of acrylic paint and not come out with anything I was happy with my attention turned back to the sails contained in the kit.

 

The sails have to be cut out and then double hemmed, with a 0.75mm rope (3strands, 1 threads per strand, #20 DMC Cordonnet) worked into the second fold. I've chosen not to include any glue (because it easily creates ugly watermarks) and to simply sew the hem. Sadly my sewing skills are not as good as I might hope, but I was pleased enough with how it turned out. 

There's plenty more to be done yet, but it's not a bad start. The next step should be to stitch a bolt rope round the periphery. 

[robdurant]

Hi all,

 

I finished turning the yards yesterday.

I also started work on the fittings that attach the yards to the mast. The top three yards on fore and main yards are laser cut, and the bottom two, photoetch. Unfortunately the photo etch does not leave the spare metal where it is folded and so I have not been able to form these as suggested in the plans. Instead I used brass rod and soldered parts of the photo etch. They will not be articulated, but they will be strong, which is a good thing.

 

[rwiederrich]

Fantastic work Rob. She is looking amazing and the choice on the kit sales looks fantastic too. What was your method for tapering the yards, did you use a small lathe  or did you use a drill motor and sandpaper?

Just beautiful. 
 

Rob

 

 

[robdurant]

2 hours ago, rwiederrich said:

Fantastic work Rob. She is looking amazing and the choice on the kit sales looks fantastic too. What was your method for tapering the yards, did you use a small lathe  or did you use a drill motor and sandpaper?

Just beautiful. 
 

Rob

 

 

Thank you Rob for your kind words. I use a small proxxon db250 lathe. It really does make the task simple. A tool I haven't regretted investing in.

[robdurant]

Thank you all for your likes, and for showing an interest. 

 

I've finished mounting the yards today. This involved making up the lower yard attachments, which are constructed from two layers of photoetch, with 2mm brass rod. I've simplified these somewhat to strengthen the attachment.

 

Here are the original parts...

 

Which are soldered together...

 

 

And then tidied up with jewellers files...

 

 

And here it is in place...

 

 

The yards were now mounted to the yards...

 

 

And I couldn't resist temporarily trying the part-completed sail in place, too...

 

 

Now, I need to do a bit of tidying up

 

Happy building and a happy new year to you all.

 

Rob

[rwiederrich]

Sweet metal work Rob 

 

I never thought about simply drilling a hole in the mast to mount the truck.  Sturdy!

 

Rob

[robdurant]

Thank you, all, for the likes and encouragement. It does spur me on

 

Work has moved on to completing the yards. I've begun with the lowest yard on the foremast. I've added black cartridge paper banding, and had a first attempt at the rails that the sails are attached to. I'm not quite happy with these yet, but it's soldered so I can go back and have another go. I've also decided to build Stefano with stuns'ls deployed... it'll make the model a full 15cm wider than if the stunsl booms were retracted, but it'll also make her a very imposing sight indeed... so... I'll go for it, and worry about where I'll keep her later!

 

The first photo is one of my cleared up boat desk with Ethalion in the background...

 

With the masts rotated, she pushes to the back of the desk and that gives me room to work on whatever's going on that day.

And a couple of photos of the progress on the foremast main yard.

 

And with the stunsl booms attached temporarily... These are pinned in place, and then black cartridge paper will cover these attachments to look like the iron bands that would have held them in place.

 

That's it for this evening. Happy building, all.

 

Rob