HM Cutter Cheerful 1806 by niwotwill - Syren Ship Model Company - scale 1:48

[niwotwill]

Now with the deadeye strops ready for finishing I started on the chainplates. Using the same methods as the backstays I made the 8 chainplates. I just realized that it has been a month since my last post as I was in Arizona visiting my daughter along with a little holiday travel so the last two days have been filing the chainplates and now the backstays and chainplates are ready for blackening. Just a photo of one aligned with the print.

Next is to blacken the parts and then make a simulated mast so the chainplate angles are determined with string. 

[niwotwill]

CHAPTER 9 IS COMPLETED!!!!

Back stays and chainplates blackened and installed.

These 8 parts have been one of the most challenging things of the Cheerful. The blalck smudges are easily wiped off the planking since the wop has made the finish sealed and very smooth. The process of making the deadeye strops the same length and shape was a days work. The chainplates brought their own problems of length, shape, and loop. Getting the lengths correct so the deadeyes all align with the top rail was completed with many parts in the bin. Finding a needle nose small enough to make the loop another process until finding the pliers from a jewelry set allowed loops small enough to appear correct in scale while fitting the strops. I found that if I annealed the chainplates this allowed the bending of the loops without distorting the chainplate. Four days of mind bending work later it is completed.

 

Chapter Ten is mostly woodwork so this will be better on my soul and mind.

[niwotwill]

Chapter 10 starts with the seats on each side of the tiller and the monograph suggests using the drawings (which are in 1:48). I made copies of the top view and the side view on the drawings making copies without cutting up the original drawing as only one copy was furnished. First was to plane a sheet of boxwood down to the 1/32" thickness for the seats. Once ready I made templates of the inner side and top using the drawings as they are at 1:48 scale. Preserved the drawing by folding to fit on the copy platform. Using elmers school glue stick I glued the prints to a card from my wife's menu file supply. After cutting the card to make the patterns I glue sticked them to the wood. 

The copy with the pattern removed

While the template was a very close fit there was still a lot of filing to get the radius fitting the transom.

After glueing the sides using the same method the tops were sanded and filed to fit without any gaps

The harder part was the front as there was no way to make the pattern so a piece of wood cut to basic shape was used. Starting with the inside piece being a straight surface the bottom was fit to the deck radius The inside of the bulwarks not being flat were the most difficult. Many attempts made, five to be exact, before a part was close enough to be used for final template and sanding.

Last thing was the hole in the seat and glue it all together.

One side done with templates for the port side to start with fitting. Tomorrows another day and woodwork is so much fun after the strops and chain plates.

[bigcreekdad]

Very nice work! While I am in the middle of a smaller kit right now, you have inspired me to go back to my uncompleted Cheerful. I stopped when I just could not get a decent drop plank cut. It always ticks me off when I look at her. I'm not usually a quitter, but this somehow frustrated me greatly. Glad I didn't sell my Jim saw and thickness sander yet.

[Chuck]

Really nice progress.

[niwotwill]

Transom knees simple parts to be put into place, RIGHT. 

First thing is studying the plans and others building logs. Finally found a post that had actually shown the process of modifying the the transom frames to allow the knees proper seating. Again using the plans I made a card template to mark the knees unto the wood. Cutting the knees from the wood with the scroll saw making sure I left sufficient wood beyond the pattern for shaping. Using the knee I started the nerve wracking process of cutting the frames. Using a new blade thin slices were cut until the knee slid under the cap rail. When both frames were cut I carefully started slicing the frames allowing the knee to fit under the cap rail on the side.

 

 

As you can see no matter how carful you are the cutting process left a mess. Next taking the knee and started shaping to the final fitting shape. Sand test, sand test, sand test until the knee fit under the cap rail and flush to transom and bulkhead.

Starting knee from saw.

Knee fitted ln postion ready for finish sanding and gluing into place.

This whole process would have been much easier before the boom crutches and timberheads were attached. I kept fearing the I'd knock one off damaging the mounted surface with the securing pin.

 

[niwotwill]

A lot has happened since last post. First the knees were sanded and into the final fit and the first coat of red paint to seats and knees and then preparing for a vacation trip to the east.

First three coats of red paint in the spare time.

Now on to vacation

[niwotwill]

Just back from a wonderful vacation. Started in Quebec City for a marvelous 3 days of touring the 17th century city. Walking in Quebec City is a lot of hard work as it is very hilly as everything is uphill from the St Lawrence. We watched the 32nd stage of a professional bicycle race just as I think the Tour do France would be. Hundreds of racers team sag cars etc. The did 16 laps up and down the steep narrow streets, just amazing. We boarded a cruise to Nova Scotia and then down the coast to Boston where we rented a car for 5 days in Maine. Staying in Boothbay Harbor as our home base to explore. If you get the chance go to the Maine Maritime Museum we spent almost two days so much to see. Bath ME is the home of the museum on the grounds where many ships were built. In 1909 the largest sailing ship built in the US was launched and the ship was lost March 1924. Wyoming was a 6 mast schooner and was 450 from tip of bowsprit to tail of after boom. To understand the size of the Wyoming a steel sculpture was made to it exact size.

Spent time trying to remember what I was working on prior to vacation. Then spent too much time to find the cleats from Syren Model Ship and yahoo I found them in the Cheerful tub of wood and parts. Sanded the largest cleats to shape and drilled a hole for a brass wire. 

Drilled a hole in the stern frames and placed the cleats with superglue.

looking at the photo I see more shaping needs to be done

[niwotwill]

Back to working full time on Cheerful. Finished the windless which was started some time ago. I'm not sure if I mentioned that the small assemblies are Syren Model mini-kits. Finished the bowsprit step and finally got everything painted.

Windless and bowsprit step in place not glued until the bowsprit is made then the parts will be pinned and glued to deck.

and finally finished painting the seats and cleat