ancre Le Rochefort by No Idea - 1/24th Scale - First POF Build

[Some Idea]

Thanks @dvm27 now thats a nice idea and looks very subtle too

[druxey]

Just what I was going to suggest!

[Some Idea]

Some more done on Le Rochefort.

 

Taking the advice given I made some pads for the gudgeons on the un-planked side and also recessed them further into the stern post.  Great advice as they definitely look and fit better.  I did make a real mess of the recesses though - Now I know what I know I would mill these when making the stern post in the future.  It would make the process much easier and tidier.  I don't think these pieces are my best work and the rudder does sit slightly high but I've learnt a lot during the process.

 

A picture of the ship with the rudder fitted

The next part to make was the tiller arm which is quite a prominent part so it needed to be as accurate as possible.  I made the arm and the knob on the end separately and used a treenail to help get a good bond between the two parts. 

 

I also straightened up the metal banding around the rudder to make it all look a bit better.

Another little milestone in my build is now complete.  I am so tempted to now finish off the stern and fit the railings and taff rail but I know that they will get broken at some point.  So instead I will resist this and make the main hatches and the pumps.

 

Thanks for the help

 

Mark

[Yves 56]

excellent work.

What is the fabric of your milling machine?

 

Yves

[Some Idea]

50 minutes ago, Yves 56 said:

excellent work.

What is the fabric of your milling machine?

 

Yves

Hi Yves I'm not sure what you mean by "fabric" but I think you mean who makes it?  It's a Sherline mill - Mark

[ChrisLBren]

Looks wonderful Mark !  Nice work

[druxey]

Actually, the rudder should sit a little high; if the ship takes ground, the rudder won't get torn off.

[Some Idea]

5 hours ago, ChrisLBren said:

Looks wonderful Mark !  Nice work

Thanks Chris its coming along now

 

3 hours ago, druxey said:

Actually, the rudder should sit a little high; if the ship takes ground, the rudder won't get torn off.

Thats make so much sense I wouldn't have thought of that.  I would like to say that I obviously knew this which is why the rudder is a little high - but........well you know the truth of it 😁 - Mark

[Michael Mash]

Gorgeous clean neat work.

[Some Idea]

On 11/5/2025 at 4:57 PM, Michael Mash said:

Gorgeous clean neat work.

Thank you Michael  

 

I have made a start on the main hatches which are a little more tricky than they look.  Firstly I made a mistake cutting the notches on the wrong side of the sides of the hatches.  I'm sure we've all done something similar; I know that I have.  So they were consigned to the scrap bin and I started again.

Below is a hatch base with the notches now on the correct side!  I found cutting the rebate on the curved ends challenging but I got there in the end.

Next I made and fitted the metal corner braces - It was only after I fitted them I looked at the drawings again and they were supposed to be recessed into the base.  I have decided to leave them where they are!  I also need to get some lightweight wood filler to fill the holes that I drilled all of the way through.

Now the fun started - trying to get the hatch tops to match the same curve as the base and also to get an all round  tight fit.

Then the strengtheners were made and fitted.  I like making parts like this as it makes the effort of cutting notches etc worth it when it all fits so nicely together.

Further reinforcement is added towards the side of the cover which I managed to glue in the wrong place as I misread the drawings yet again!  It's not the end of the world but removing them would cause too mush damage so I will alter the nailing to suit.

The lifting handles were next - This is the first time I've tried triangular handles as I've never successfully made them before.  I usually make them round as I find this a lot easier but at least I've had a go.  They're not great and I would love to know how other builders make these parts?  I used a triangular file to bend the brass around but it was so fiddly and I found it difficult to get tight bends with straight sides.  I've looked at other builders efforts and they look like a perfect triangle so any help for the future would be greatly appreciated  

I still need to get the nailing done which always takes me a while and then get them fitted onto the main deck.

 

Thanks for all of the comments  - Mark

 

[druxey]

Well done so far!

 

Triangular ringbolts? Yes, they are tricky. I cut a hardwood stick to the inside dimensions and drill a small hole through. One end of the wire, well annealed, is inserted in the drilled hole and the wire wrapped tightly around the stick. The assembly is then held securely in a soft jawed vise. (I use disposable pieces of illustration board, rubber cemented in place.) The rings are parted off using a fine jewelers' saw blade. The tiny gap in each rig is closed up and optionally soldered.

[Some Idea]

1 hour ago, druxey said:

Well done so far!

 

Triangular ringbolts? Yes, they are tricky. I cut a hardwood stick to the inside dimensions and drill a small hole through. One end of the wire, well annealed, is inserted in the drilled hole and the wire wrapped tightly around the stick. The assembly is then held securely in a soft jawed vise. (I use disposable pieces of illustration board, rubber cemented in place.) The rings are parted off using a fine jewelers' saw blade. The tiny gap in each rig is closed up and optionally soldered.

Thanks druxey that’s genius I’m going to give this a go and see how I get on. I appreciate the help 👍

[Some Idea]

I've made a few alterations this weekend as I was unhappy with the triangular ringbolts.  I was also unhappy with the way the ship looked with the main hatches in place in the hull.  They just looked out of keeping compared to the open format that I've been following.........so I cut the hatches in half.  It was one of those no turning back moments.

I remade the ringbolts having made mandrel for the shape and I also made separate eyebolts this time too.  I'm much happier with the result this time and they do look more realistic.

They are now fully fitted into the hull and I now like the way they look as it's more in keeping with the rest of the ship.

I was going to make the pumps next but that's on hold until my Xmas present arrives.  My fantastic wife has bought me a 17" Sherline lathe which will pretty much finish off my tool collection.  I can't wait to set it up and give it a go!

 

So instead I think I'll focus on finishing the bow planking first

 

Mark

[G. Delacroix]

Hello,

 

Superb work as usual, executed with unwavering precision. The presentation of the hatch tops remains logical in relation to that of the ship itself.

If I may make a small observation, the heads of the nails for the corner brackets seem a little large. But that's a minor detail.

 

GD

[Some Idea]

Hi Gerard thanks for your very nice comment on the build so far.  I completely agree with you regarding the nail heads they are out of scale.  I think I need to order quite a selection of differing nail sizes online so that I have a better choice when building.  I find buying them a bit hit and miss online as its difficult to gauge their size without physically seeing them.

 

If anyone could recommend a good supplier and a particular brand that would be very helpful to me - maybe drop me a personal message?

 

Mark

[Hubac's Historian]

This is just beautiful, clean work, Mark.  I love the careful spiling of your planking on the round-tuck stern.  This is a very difficult thing to do seamlessly, and you nailed it.  I am also interested in the middle strakes of your hull planking, just below the main deck level, which appear to have the chatoyant character of alternating grain.  If this was selected deliberately, you chose well.  It looks fantastic!

[Some Idea]

8 minutes ago, Hubac's Historian said:

This is just beautiful, clean work, Mark.  I love the careful spiling of your planking on the round-tuck stern.  This is a very difficult thing to do seamlessly, and you nailed it.  I am also interested in the middle strakes of your hull planking, just below the main deck level, which appear to have the chatoyant character of alternating grain.  If this was selected deliberately, you chose well.  It looks fantastic!

Hi Marc and thanks so much mate!  I didn't plan how the planking would look I just got lucky with the particular piece of Castello I was using.  What I do try and do though when planking is cut them all from the same plank.  That way the colour and texture is similar but this also wastes a lot of wood particularly when spilling.  

 

I hadn't tried spilling before this build but due to the plank thickness which is 3.2mm thick in places I had no option but to learn how to do it.  I simply watched and followed the tutorials on MSW and now I wouldn't use any other technique as the plank always sits flat on the frames and the clinkering effect just isn't there.  It takes a little more effort but it's well worth it.  I also have to admit I had to google "chatoyant" but that really does sum it up in terms of looks.

 

Cheers Mark

[druxey]

Glad the triangular ringbolt method worked for you! The decision you made on the hatch covers looks really good.

 

Model Motorcars Ltd supply a number of miniature bolts, etc.

[tlevine]

You could also simulate the bolts or nails with copper wire.  

[Some Idea]

2 hours ago, druxey said:

Glad the triangular ringbolt method worked for you! The decision you made on the hatch covers looks really good.

 

Model Motorcars Ltd supply a number of miniature bolts, etc.

Your method makes the job so much easier!  I've book marked the Model cars website as their brass rivets look like exactly what I need.  They are currently out of stock but I'll keep checking in.  The good news is they also ship worldwide.

16 minutes ago, tlevine said:

You could also simulate the bolts or nails with copper wire.  

Hi Toni - thanks for your suggestion and this is something I did try in the past.  I never seemed to be able to get a consistent bolt head size and shape using this method.  It was quite a while ago though so I think I'll revisit this to see if my technique could be improved.

 

Mark