Duchess of Kingston by Delf - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - Boxwood version

[Rustyj]

Very nice Derek. I wish I'd thought to do that!

[glbarlow]

On 11/18/2021 at 11:05 AM, DelF said:

equally important to sand laser cut parts

Completely agree, only I use 320 grit to smooth and 400 grit to soften every edge. It’s subtle and it takes time but it’s not a race to the next blog entry and makes a big difference done throughout the model. 
 

I’m always impressed and inspired by your attention and skill with small detail work, it adds so much to the model.   It’s refreshing to see as I’m grinding my way through Winchelsea’s skeleton. 
 

What carving tools did you use other than files, if any. I need to find that V block.  I need an area in my workshop labeled “tools inspired by Derek.”

 

Edited December 1, 2021 by glbarlow

[DelF]

Thanks James, Rusty & Glenn.

 

41 minutes ago, Rustyj said:

I wish I'd thought to do that!

Yours still looks fine Rusty. I just enjoy playing around and problem solving - and every time I look at your log I half regret not planking my own deck like you did.

 

41 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

What carving tools did you use other than files

I use these woodturning tools - the gouge to get the right diameter and the rough shape, the knife edge to mark out the main sections of the piece then files for the final shaping:

The next picture shows a balustrade with the sections marked out and roughed to shape, and prior to filing:

Ordinary wood turning tools are easy to come by, but for tiny pieces (2.8mm diameter in this case) these smaller tools are essential. I'm not sure this brand is available in the US, but I'm sure there will be alternatives if you search for micro woodturning tools. Here's a link to my Speedy log where I first started using them to make anchor buoys.

 

Hope this helps. And by the way, I've already got a shelf in my workshop labelled 'things Glenn made me buy' 😁 

 

Derek

[glbarlow]

Put a set on my Christmas list😊

 

The Chuck I have doesn’t fit the M70 mill though it does fit the lathe. Can’t seem to find a small enough one to fit it about 3mm max I’m guessing. ?

[DelF]

Not sure why you'd want a chuck on the mill? You should be able to hold all the tools you need using collets. Or have I misunderstood? I did the balustrades on the lathe. 

 

I've put a CNC machine on my Christmas list 'cos I'm greedy. Doubt I'll get it though 😒

[glbarlow]

3 hours ago, DelF said:

Not sure why you'd want a chuck on the mill?

I thought that’s how your drilling holes in round objects using a V block,, so I guess I misunderstood. 

[DelF]

18 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

I guess I misunderstood. 

Sorry Glenn, my mistake. I got confused because we'd been discussing turning tools and I had my mind on the lathe. I hadn't realised you were thinking of drilling the holes.

 

I used the micro drilling attachment and the V block in a mini mill. Although the mini is only one class up from a micro mill it's a much bigger beast, weighing in at over 200 lbs and with interchangeable chuck and collets. The same mill will be available in the States - they're all made in the same factory in China and rebranded in the West. Here it is fitted with a chuck:

 

If Santa's in a good mood it might be worth considering. However you can use the micro drill attachment in other things with a chuck - for example a  benchtop pillar drill like this:

 

 

If you've not got one they're much more reasonably priced and good for other jobs around the house.

 

 

[glbarlow]

I’ll add it to my Christmas list, I’m not hopeful 🤪 but thanks for clarifying there are micro AND mini mills. 

[DelF]

Glazing experiments and (almost) a disaster

 

As always, many thanks for the kind comments and likes.

 

I decided to glaze the windows but wanted something a bit more realistic than clear acetate. First I tried Glue 'n Glaze...

 

...a product used by railway modelers and others to simulate glazing. This looks like PVA but dries clear, and is applied using a cocktail stick or similar to  spread the liquid across the window opening. 

 

I found it very difficult to photograph the result, so you'll just have to take my word that it didn't look right - too thick and uneven, even for 18th century glass. Next, my wife told me about a product called Fantasy Film, used by crafters to produce decorative effects. The idea is to twist a copper wire into a shape such as a leaf, dip it in the liquid, pull it out and it dries to a very thin translucent film. Obviously for a leaf or petal you would use coloured film, but I managed to get hold of the clear version to try it out as a glazing material. When I dipped a window the result was almost OK. The problem is the liquid is quite thick and dries very fast. No matter how quickly I pulled it out of the liquid it didn't finish flowing off the bottom edge before it solidified, leaving an unsightly blob in the bottom two lights. The liquid also solidified around the glazing bars making them too thick.

 

Long story short, I came up with two methods that seem to work well. The first involves using a loop of brass wire to make a large sheet of film, laying a window on the film with a tiny smear of Glue 'n Glaze (which also acts as a clear glue)  and trimming once dry:

Difficult to see the final result in the photo, but I felt this looked more realistic. The film is crystal clear but not dead flat, so it gives the impression of old glass.

 

The second method involved holding a window in a pair of large tweezers in such a way that I could hold it flat against the surface of the liquid, just touching the back edge and pulling it away again. I couldn't photograph this process but here's how I held the windows:

 

Held vertically to dry, this left a film in each of the four lights of the window without coating the front of the glazing bars and without the unsightly blobs I got when dipping the whole window into the liquid. On balance I prefer this method as it doesn't need as many steps. 

 

The Disaster (almost!)

 

The five windows fitted in the stern fascia without a hitch. It was when I came to attach the photo etch window surround that I came unstuck - it didn't fit:

With the left hand edge lined up, the rest of the surround was way off. I checked the PE against the plans and it was spot on, whereas the stern fascia was 3mm wider than it should have been. I realised belatedly that I had soaked the fascia in hot water too long and, although I'd waited until it was dry it never shrank back to the original width. 

 

With most kit makers I'd have had no option but to make my own replacement, but now that Chris has his own laser machine he was able to supply me with a replacement in the next post and at minimal cost. Chris was also kind enough to send me a sample of the stern decoration from his new 3D printer. More of that anon. First, I wanted to bend the new stern fascia without expanding it so this time I tried dry heat, using an arrangement of blocks and a weight to hold it in place. The blocks were 5mm thick which I reckoned would give the right degree of curvature, with the fascia held down by a rod with a weight on the end. The second picture shows the hot air gun:

 

I put the gun on the hottest setting and aimed it at the fascia for about 30 seconds then left it to cool. The method worked well, leaving a permanent curve. I tried the same method on the stern decoration and found it worked equally well on resin:

I'll use dry heat as much as possible from now on.

 

Finally, I painted the new stern decoration Chris had supplied to compare it with the original:

The new one is at the top. Those with a microscope might detect a difference, but I think Chris is on to another winner here. 

 

Next, I'm looking forward to finishing off the stern.

 

Derek

 

 

[Rustyj]

Very innovative and nice work Derek. I’ve switched to almost always using heat and pressure to bend now and not soak in water. Well done!  

[DelF]

Stern decoration completed

 

Once I'd sorted out the self-inflicted problem with the fascia the rest of the stern decoration went smoothly. There were only two points of particular interest. The first involved gluing the swags beneath the window. This was a very fine and delicate piece of photoetch, and I was worried that it would be hard to apply any sort of glue without spoiling the paintwork. In the end I remember that matte medium can be used as an adhesive. 

 I originally bought this product to try as an alternative to dilute pva or shellac for use in rigging, but as an adhesive it dries quickly and invisibly. It worked well - here's the swag in place, along with the rest of the stern decoration. I had considered floor polish for sticking PE as discussed in other Duchess logs, but I may stick with matte medium if it continues to work as well as this.

 

As always, close-ups show the need for some touching up, but nothing major.

The other point of note was trying to disguise the join between the stern fascia and the cast resin decoration. In the manual the resin is painted gold and the wood left:

This looks neat but I wanted to see if I could make the capping slightly more realistic by eliminating the step between the tops of the two components and painting the whole cap gold. I considered but dismissed the idea of moulding a strip to cap the two pieces, and in the end went for filler. Here's the result of the first attempt:

 

Perhaps another go at smooth the cap and repainting, but I'm pleased with the result so far.

 

Derek

 

 

[David Lester]

That stern looks amazing!

David

[DaveBaxt]

On 12/1/2021 at 3:20 PM, DelF said:

Quarterdeck Companion Rails

 

Having taken a break from the stern decoration by working on some odd jobs such as the curved stairs, I was tempted to tackle the quarterdeck  companion rails. These sit at the top of the stairs and have always niggled me since I first saw that they were made entirely from photo-etch. The PE makes beautifully decorative railings, but I felt the four balustrades looked flat and unnatural, albeit well detailed:

I decided to have a go at turning my own balustrades on the Proxxon wood lathe. I had a spare castello boxwood mast left over from Speedy which I turned down to just under 3mm. Then, using the PE as a template I started practicing with various turning tools and files:

I made quite a few before I had four that passed muster. Here are the rejects!

The next job was to cut the balustrades off the PE using a jeweler's piercing saw, leaving enough of a peg on the railings to fasten into the new balustrades:

To drill 0.6mm holes in the balustrades accurately I used a technique I described here in my Speedy log, employing a vee block and a micro drill attachment in my mini mill:

Next I prepared the coaming, sanding off the char and rounding off the sharp edges. The only slight change here was to the width. Because the new balustrades are thicker than the photoetch I had to glue strips of 0.5 mm boxwood to the long edges:

With the balustrades and PE glued up, painted and stuck to the coaming here's the end result:

This little side project has recharged my batteries and I'm ready to start on the hull decoration again.

 

Derek

 

Fantastic work Derek. You must have some really good hand tools for that lathe.She is coming on great and look forward to watching your progress.

[DelF]

Fixing problems in the prow

 

Whilst work was progressing steadily at the stern, things haven't been going quite as smoothly at the sharp end. 

 

Sometime between these two photos I managed to snap off - and more importantly lose - the fragile curly bit:

 

 

I gave up trying to find the errant piece in the black hole that is my workshop and decided to make a replacement from a piece of scrap pear. This is where Chris's scale plans showing every component are particularly handy, as I was able to photocopy the part and stick it to the wood for shaping. Here it is approaching the final shape:

I departed slightly from the original model which consists of three layers - a 3mm wood core sandwiched between 1mm veneers. The latter are a slightly different shape to the core, creating small cut-outs in the final shape (these are visible in the first photo above). I decided I would use a single 5mm thick piece based on the shape of the 3mm core, and wing it if and when I needed the cutouts. After trimming the broken section to provide a firm base I dry fitted the new piece along with the figurehead and upper cheek rails. More work needed!

 

Important note for future builders

 

It was at this point I remembered a warning I read in @glennard2523 and @Rustyj's logs. The manual tells you to fit the cheek rails first, then the figurehead. Unfortunately the figurehead has a dovetail-type base which means it can only slide in to the prow from the side, which will be obstructed by the lower cheek rail. In fact the rail in the manual has been broken to fit the figurehead. Chris got the order right in the plans (Sheet 5) which describe and illustrate a very clear set of steps for constructing the bow area (@chris watton for info).

 

Anyway, to cut to the chase, here's the current state of play, with the repair in place along with the figurehead and cheek rails:

 

Now I'm looking forward to fitting more of this lovely photoetch decoration.

 

Derek

 

Edited December 13, 2021 by DelF

[Glenn-UK]

Nice save, looking good

[glbarlow]

On 12/4/2021 at 6:11 AM, DelF said:

use dry heat as much as possible from now on.

I doubt I’ll ever soak anything again, heat is the way to go. Nice recovery from the soaking problem. 
 

I like the window experiments, I could see myself dropping the frame and it disappearing to the bottom of the can. 

[glbarlow]

On 12/7/2021 at 9:57 AM, DelF said:

as an adhesive it dries quickly and invisibly.

I wonder about the durability and longevity of this as glue, it seems almost too good to be true?

[BobG]

Wonderful work, Derek, and an excellent, informative build log as well.

[DelF]

4 hours ago, glbarlow said:

I wonder about the durability and longevity of this as glue, it seems almost too good to be true?

Good question. However I'm only using it on the lightest pieces of PE on flat surfaces so hopefully they won't need to stand up to any wear and tear. As for longevity, I've not found any references to it degrading quickly so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll last me out. With heavier PE and pieces that have to fit on curved surfaces I'm using CA.

[glbarlow]

4 hours ago, DelF said:

I'm using CA.

Glad that’s still working out😊

[glbarlow]

Your transom and stem paintwork is outstanding. So many make a mess of this, it takes patience, very small brushes, and many touch ups to get it right. Well done!

[DelF]

Completing the bow area & portside decoration

 

Thanks for all the likes and kind comments, they're much appreciated.

 

Before fitting the various head rails I painted and fitted the catheads. Unlike Speedy, when I neglected to drill sheave holes in the catheads until they were on the hull, I got to work with the trusty Proxxon micro mill before fitting them. The catheads are just shy of 3mm wide, so a 0.5mm mill was just right to cut the necessary holes and grooves:

 

The cathead support brackets require careful bevelling on each contact face. I found this problematic and ended up disguising a small gap each side with acrylic filler and paint. 

 

As a quick aside, I also fitted the horseshoe and fish plates at this stage. Not a big deal in itself, but worth mentioning as a further example of the kit's accuracy - all the 0.5mm holes in the plates themselves, the two boxwood veneers and the keel itself were lined up perfectly so that all 13 pins went through without a problem:

On to the various bow rails and decorations. These were fiddly given their small size, but went together as per the manual without a hitch. The manual is supplemented with detailed 1:1 plans showing the placement of all the photoetch decoration. Given the shear volume of decoration (I counted 30 separate items in the bow area and catheads alone) I found it essential to have the plans to hand to correctly identify and position each piece. Most pieces are asymmetric, meaning the port and starboard sides are different which further highlights the importance of care at this stage. I should add that I grew impatient waiting for the matte medium I mentioned in my previous post to dry, and ended up resorting to CA for most of the photoetch.

 

Here's the bow area mostly finished:

It was around this time that I read @desalgu's Duchess log where he mentioned accidently breaking the plume off the knight's helmet on the figurehead. I felt a sinking sensation as I rushed back to the workshop to check mine. Sure enough, the plume was missing and I hadn't realised 😒. I hunted far and low but it had fallen into the black hole. Oh well, I'll knock up a replacement from Milliput or similar.

 

Anyway here's the current state of play, with most of the portside decoration finished and just waiting on the gunport and window surrounds:

It's worth a closeup of some of the decoration. Bearing in mind this is from a 0.2mm sheet, I'm amazed how the process manages to produce three dimensional detail:

 

Extraordinary. I think I'll do the starboard side next then all the gunports. I'll leave the windows 'til last as I don't want to risk damaging the glazing. I also need to glue back on the tiny details I managed to break off the window frames earlier in the build. I'm normally very careful when I'm modelling, but this kit has so many fine and delicate parts I'm finding it a real challenge. I must learn to be less ham fisted!

 

Derek

Edited December 19, 2021 by DelF

[yvesvidal]

What a beautiful l ship... and that bow is amazing of perfection.

 

Yves

[DelF]

Completing the decoration

 

Finishing the starboard side decoration and then fitting the oval surrounds to the gunports was all straightforward. I fitted the four small side windows next, having glazed them using the same technique as on the stern. As with the decoration, the port and starboard sides are very slightly different - the windows will fit in the frames on either side but will not look right if not on their correct side. Again, careful study of the plans and manual is essential. Here's the port side gunports and small windows fitted:

When it came to gluing back the tiny dangly bits that had broken off the wooden window surround, I found it easier to glue them to the back of the PE surround before I fitted the latter in place. 

 

Next, it was on to the large windows at the aft end. These are ornate objects pierced with several holes that I did not want to glaze, so the first job was to cover all but the window openings with masking tape. Also, the windows were too large to allow me to use tweezers to dip them into the glazing solution as I had with the smaller versions. Instead, I stuck a piece of scrap wood to the front of the PE, giving me a handle that enabled me to dip the window flat against the surface of the Fantasy Film:

As before, the trick was to allow only the back surface to touch the film, then to withdraw it as quickly as possible and hold it in the vertical position while the excess film ran off the bottom edge. The first window worked fine. The second took two goes before I was happy. The first attempt left bubbles in the film - I don't think I lifted it quickly enough - and I had to wait for it to dry before I could cut it off and dip again. Once the film was dry I used a razor blade to cut round the back of the window frame so I could peel off the excess film and masking tape:

The next job was to bend the PE slightly to match the curve of the hull. I was reluctant to bend the glazed portion so I wrapped it in paper to protect it and held it in the rubber jaws of my vice while gently bending the bottom, non-glazed part:

Here's the port side fitted:

And a more atmospheric view (ie I got the lighting wrong!):

No prizes for guessing what I used the old cutting mat for!

 

That's almost all the decoration fitted. I'm holding off fitting the scuppers while I'm still handling the hull a lot. Next job will be the rudder.

 

Probably my last post for a while, so I'll wish everyone a happy Christmas and peaceful New Year.

 

Derek

 

 

 

 

 

 

[yvesvidal]

Beautiful work Derek. Happy and Merry Christmas to you as well.

 

Yves

[glbarlow]

Your craftsmanship with the boxwood coupled with the well done decorations make for a stunning look.  The window technique is very creative thinking.

 

Merry Christmas Derek to you and your family.  I’ve enjoy our cross-pond dialog this past year and look forward to more next year. 
 

[Rustyj]

Very nice work Derek. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

[DelF]

Thanks Yves and Rusty, much appreciated.

 

16 hours ago, glbarlow said:

...boxwood coupled with the well done decorations make for a stunning look.  

Thanks Glenn. I bet you'll raise the bar again with your Winchelsea, especially when you get to that lovely Alaskan yellow cedar.

 

16 hours ago, glbarlow said:

 I’ve enjoy our cross-pond dialog this past year and look forward to more next year. 

Me too, although we'll have to keep the tool recommendations to a minimum in future in case our spouses start to wonder what's happened to our retirement funds!

[DaveBaxt]

Unbelievable workmanship. Just like to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year and looking forward to seeing more of your progress next year. Thanks again for all your help. Best regards dave

[Blue Ensign]

A pleasurable catch-up Derek what a fine job you are doing with the Duchess, she looks splendid.

 

The only downside of looking at your log is that it cost me money, another three items of interest to follow up including those wonderful looking chisels.

 

Have a good Christmas, and a safe New Year.

 

B.E.