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

[glbarlow]

6 hours ago, DelF said:

How bad is the dust though?

It does sling some dust. I attach a vacuum to the port on top when I run it (and the saw), that reduces the dust to almost nothing. 

[DelF]

Rigging the bowsprit

 

I just had a couple of items on the hull to finish before I could start rigging. First, the rails on the quarterdeck:

 

These were straightforward to construct, with each railing made from three patterns laser cut from 1mm wood sheet. To hide the laminations I applied water-based filler to the top of the handrail and rubbed it down before painting. However the pieces are quite fragile, and despite my best efforts one of the supports broke as I was installing the starboard rail. Fortunately the kit provides 14 spares, two for each of the seven supports, each of which is slightly different:

 

The last little job was blackening and fitting the stove flue:

 

That last photo reminds me of a small detail I forgot to mention before. I like to simulate bolt heads where appropriate - two are visible on the timber just aft of the flue. For bolts like this I use an old hairbrush with black nylon bristle which are just the right diameter when inserted in a hole and trimmed off.

 

Here she is ready for rigging to commence:

 

I started with the gammoning, using about 1 metre of 0.5mm line (dark brown spun from 3 strands of Gutermann Mara):

Here's a link to my Speedy log describing the method I used. It took ten turns to fill the gammoning slot, and a lot of patience to weave the line through the head rails! In particular, the Speedy log describes how I differed slightly from the kit instructions which show the loops running parallel between the bowsprit and the slot. I followed full size practice in which each loop starts at the front of the bowsprit and goes to the aft of the slot, resulting in a twisted effect.

 

Btw, I'm no longer stressing about losing the knight's helmet's plume on the figurehead. It appears I've left no room for it, which is puzzling as I don't see how I could have fitted the figurehead and the bowsprit any differently. 

 

Next set of tasks will be finishing the rigging to the bowsprit.

 

Derek

 

[glbarlow]

Such clean, crisp work - a reference for all to follow.
 

Real Knights don’t need no plume

[desalgu]

Superb work as always!  Now I'm wondering how the bowsprit will fit on my boat with the knight's plume.  It will be a while before I get to that point though.  You're way ahead of me now.

 

Based on how you attach blocks, I'm going to try to improve on what I've done previously.  I'm very impressed with all the extra little details you add. 

[DelF]

Bobstays & Bowsprit Shrouds

 

Thanks for all the positive support - much appreciated.

 

The bobstays and shrouds were relatively straightforward to rig. I decided to follow full size practice by serving the lines, using my finest thread  - Mara #150.

 

Bobstays were usually doubled, which I achieved by threading lengths of served line through the holes in the stem and gluing the ends together. Here's the inner bobstay first, showing the join:

Then I had a brainwave for the outer bobstay and realised I could hide the join in the stem if I made the hole bigger:

Here's the two finished:

The bowsprit shrouds were equally straightforward...

However compare the lanyards:

 

For the bobstays I just used some ordinary Mara thread (#70, I think) but for the shroud lanyards I used the thinnest rope I could make - 3 strands of Mara#150 - giving a more realistic 0.30mm result. I'll replace the bobstay lanyards as soon as I run up some more line. I've added a touch of raw sienna acrylic paint to the cut ends of the shrouds to represent the protective leather caps.

 

While on the subject of lines, I thought I'd say a word on my ropewalk. A few years ago when I was fitting out my garage I built a number of workbenches on lockable wheels in order to give me maximum flexibility when using various tools. This turned out to be a happy decision for rope making, as it means I can use the benches in conjunction with my Syren Rope Rocket to make rope of any length I want. In practice I tend to start with the headstock and tailstock 13 ft apart which gives me 10 ft rope which works well for me. Here's the two six foot benches set up with the Rope Rocket:

Here's the benches stowed away alongside two smaller ones. The wheels reduce the bench footprints to a minimum, still leaving room for both cars (and a pile of junk!):

More relevant, here's some of this morning's production, 0.65mm on the left; 0.50mm on the right:

I knot the ends until I can apply heat treatment to stop the rope unravelling. I use a crafter's hot air gun; others bake in an oven. I just find the hot air quicker and easier. 

 

Finally I should add that my wife found the design for the workbenches on Pinterest (the first and only time I've found a use for the latter!) and I tailored them to suit my tools and needs. I know they're not a new concept and some modelers use similar ideas in their workshops, but the flexibility and convenience they give me makes doing jobs in the garage much less of a chore and therefore much more likely to get done. 

 

Shrouds next, I think.

 

Derek   

 

[Glenn-UK]

Great work and impressive work area 

[glbarlow]

Way too many cool tools, I’ll never catch up😜

[DelF]

1 hour ago, glennard2523 said:

Great work and impressive work area

Thanks Glenn. The garage is great for the ropewalk and general DIY. I'm fortunate to have a separate workshop for hobbies - this is the 'tidy' half (I daren't photograph the other part)!

 

 

[DelF]

4 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

Way too many cool tools, I’ll never catch up

Nonsense - you're already ahead of me on Byrnes tools - I want the thicknesser and disc sander! 🤢

[Glenn-UK]

Another impressive workspace. I would like to refit my garage out for this hobby but instead I'm getting the bathroom, ensuite and downstairs cloakroom refurbished.

[glbarlow]

Great work area, you are a true dedicated hobbyist. I’m ver impressed, and jealous. 

[DelF]

15 minutes ago, glennard2523 said:

instead I'm getting the bathroom, ensuite and downstairs cloakroom refurbished

You've got your priorities all wrong Glenn. What's a bathroom?

[BobG]

Oh man, a garage with lots of workspace and portable work benches plus a great room for modeling and other hobbies... I'm green with envy! 🤢

[Glenn-UK]

46 minutes ago, DelF said:

You've got your priorities all wrong Glenn. What's a bathroom?

To be fair I have taken over our conservatory, which is now my shipyard.

[BobG]

You have some fine looking models, Glenn!

[desalgu]

I'm amazed at how many make their own rope and serve it.  It looks awesome, but not sure I'll reach that level.  

 

I enjoy seeing everyone's work areas!  Hope this isn't too much distraction in Derek's build log.  I love following his builds with all his creativity and detail.

 

I have a large room in the basement as a hobby room, so I'm jealous when I see large windows and natural light!  But I'm sure others would love to have the space.  I was very cramped in my previous house, so having this room has me spoiled.  I too am way behind in tools, but recently I did order a Byrnes table saw.  It's going to be hard to catch up to Glenn and Derek!

 

Here's my basement room taken from about the middle.  One picture faces one direction and then I turned around for the other photo.  I also have a closet area for supplies.  Obviously I was into model airplanes before switching to ships.  Carpet squares were not the best choice for floor, because if I drop something, most of the time it literally disappears.

[Blue Ensign]

Duchess is looking wonderful, Derek, I do love the look of Boxwood, I much prefer it to Pear.

 

An impressive workspace you have there, makes mine look cramped by comparison, and as for David's (desalgu) Mrs W happened to spot it and I'm now under the cosh to tidy things up. (Great looking aircraft by the way)

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

[DelF]

2 hours ago, desalgu said:

I'm amazed at how many make their own rope and serve it.  It looks awesome, but not sure I'll reach that level.  

Making your own rope is honestly dead easy and very satisfying, and you've got plenty of space to set up a temporary ropewalk whenever you needed it. Have a look at the Rope Rocket and Servomatic videos on Chuck's site to see how fast you can make and serve rope.

 

I enjoyed seeing your great basement, but I get embarrassed whenever I see such tidy and well organised workspaces as yours and Glenn's - I've been too shamed to post mine before!

 

35 minutes ago, Blue Ensign said:

Duchess is looking wonderful, Derek, I do love the look of Boxwood,

Many thanks. I paid extra for the boxwood version but it was worth it. (I agree about David's planes!)

 

Derek

[DaveBaxt]

As Always Derek I am amazed at your level of workmanship and something we can hopefully aspire to. Great looking workshop and garage. I too have expnded and moved my machine tools into the garage,leaving more space in my shed for everything else. I look forward to seeing her when you are finished and wonder have you any future plans for what you build next. Perhaps another Vanguard model?

[DocRob]

A truly fantastic build with interesting problem solving and a beautiful and different look, through the use of boxwood. 
I hope you don't mind, if I peek in and learn from your build, as you are slightly ahead of me with the DoK and way ahead in craftsmanship.

 

Cheers Rob

[DelF]

Thanks Dave, much appreciated.

 

4 hours ago, DaveBaxt said:

wonder have you any future plans for what you build next. Perhaps another Vanguard model?

Yes indeed! I've had Sphinx sitting in a corner of my workshop since Christmas, and when I look at current Sphinx build logs (I'm following @Blue Ensign, @hollowneck & @glennard2523)  I start drooling in anticipation. I regularly have to excercise restraint to stop myself opening the box and starting construction as I know I just couldn't handle having two major kits on the go simultaneously. Last year I enjoyed having a small pinnace build on the go at the same time as Speedy as it provided variety, but DoK plus Sphinx would be too much.

 

1 hour ago, DocRob said:

I hope you don't mind, if I peek in and learn from your build

Of course not Rob, and thanks for the kind words. Much of what I've learned has been through other people's logs on this site and if I can pay some of that back through my own builds then I'm very happy. 

 

Derek 

[glbarlow]

Mine’s not all that neat at the moment, bits of planking everywhere.  Plus I have the advantage of cabinets with doors, who knows what’s behind them all. Same thing with my office and all the camera gear I’ve accumulated. Meanwhile, I’m off to do more planking, and more planking….

[desalgu]

My basement work area isn't as neat as it might appear in the photo.  It's too far away from the camera to show all the little clutter.  

 

I'll have to look into making rope and serving.  Serving is something I knew absolutely nothing about until seeing it in build logs. (At first I was very confused, thinking serving in volleyball or tennis?!)  It makes sense why they do it on a real ship, but I've wondered if it really shows at model scale.  Your photos and others shows that it does.  Maybe I'll give it a try on the next model...and more "toys" to buy 😅

 

I too love the look of boxwood on your Duchess, and I think you made the right choice leaving the wood to show on the hull versus paint.  If you had a choice between boxwood and alaskan cedar, which would you choose?  Is one easier to work with than the other?  They both have a similar color which I like.  Your boxwood looks fantastic and @glbarlow 's alaskan cedar on Cheerful looks fantastic (of course, along with his super precise building).  It's unclear which is "best" and maybe there's no real answer to that.

 

[glbarlow]

1 hour ago, desalgu said:

which is "best" and maybe there's no real answer to that.

I’ve built with both and that is the correct answer. Cedar is softer, easy to work with, and has the unmistakable golden glow, plus it ages well. 
 

Boxwood is beautiful, but it’s harder to come by (and harder wood) quality stuff and it’s very expensive when you do find it. Bottom line they are both great, along with cherry and pear the best modeling woods. 

[DelF]

4 hours ago, desalgu said:

It's unclear which is "best"

3 hours ago, glbarlow said:

I’ve built with both

Unfortunately I've not been able to try AYC - it seems virtually impossible to get hold of in the UK. Some boatyards have it for fitting out high-end craft, but they don't seem willing to part with it in sensible quantities. Having seen Glenn's beautiful work on Winchelsea I've decided to sneak a saw into my luggage for my upcoming trip to Alaska 

[DelF]

Mizzen shrouds

 

The kit plan for the mizzen on Duchess has just three shrouds on each side, one pair and a swifter - a single shroud eye spliced round the masthead. Port and starboard singletons were sometimes fashioned from a single line cut spliced round the masthead, but eye splices were also commonly used according to Lees so I stuck with the kit plan. I used 0.50mm dark line (3 X Mara #70) with the middle 70mm of each pair served and an equivalent length served on the swifters. I used Mara #150 for the serving. The front shrouds on the main and fore masts were served along their full lengths, I think to protect the courses, but as there is no equivalent sail on the mizzen the extra serving is not necessary.

 

I covered shrouds extensively in my Speedy log (eg here for seizing deadeyes, here and the next few posts for rigging the shrouds).

 

However there were a few differences which I'll cover. First, unlike Speedy I decided not to construct each mast in its entirety before starting the rigging. On Speedy I had to rig each shroud on the model, because with caps and topmasts in place it was not possible to slip shrouds over the mastheads. On the Duchess I can fit shrouds temporarily, measure where I want the deadeyes, then take the shrouds off the model to fit the deadeyes in comfort. Also, I don't bother gluing lower masts in place, preferring to adjust shrouds and stays until they are secure and properly aligned.

 

Like lots of people I usually struggle to get deadeyes to line up neatly, so I thought I'd try a slightly different method involving a variation on the pins in a stick method. Instead of dealing with the deadeyes one set at a time I tried the whole channel in one go. I figured it was best to try it out on the mizzen first with its modest three shrouds. I started with a small piece of 2mm wood sheet in which I drilled three holes corresponding to the lowest holes on the three deadeyes on the channel. With pins in these holes I drew a line parallel to the line of pins at the distance I wanted the upper deadeyes:

 

With the board pinned through the lower deadeyes I marked the point at which each shroud would cross the upper line:

With holes drilled in the upper line, pins inserted and deadeyes fitted it was easy to mark where each shroud wrapped round the bottom of each upper deadeye. I tied a short length of light thread at this point then removed the shrouds from the model. I should add that I was able to use the same jig for the port side - I just had to remove the pins and reinsert them from the other side of the board.

 

To seize the upper deadeyes I used the same method I described for Speedy. The mizzen deadeyes are nominally 3mm but actually measured 3.4mm. However I used a 3mm drill bit to start the process as this ensured a good tight fit when I inserted the deadeye. I'll just include a couple of photos to show the start of the process.

 

1) Wrap the shroud round the drill bit, with the crossing point opposite the thread marking the bottom of the deadeye:

 

2) Use a fine needle to stitch the seizing (I used Mara #100) through the crossing point - actually through both parts of the shroud to ensure the seizing won't slip:

The throat seizing can then proceed in the normal way, after which the deadeye is inserted, two round seizings added, everything trimmed and the leather cap simulated with raw sienna acrylic paint. 

 

The big question - did this process produce level deadeyes? Did it b*****y! Just as uneven as usual...

 

...however, I soon discovered the big advantage of using Gutermann Mara - it's very flexible. This meant I had sufficient scope in tightening the lanyards to get the deadeyes more or less level. I used 0.30mm line for the lanyards, spun up from three strands of Mara #150:

I'll leave the lanyards unfinished until I'm ready for final tightening all round.

 

On to the main next.

 

Derek

 

[DelF]

Main shrouds

 

These consisted of two pairs plus one swifter on each side. As with the mizzen, the central quarter of each shroud pair was served, but for the main the whole of the first shroud on each shroud was served. I always like the look of a gang of served shrouds stacked up round a masthead:

I used 0.50mm line for the lanyards (made from three strands of Mara#70). I like the line, but on reflection it looks a bit heavy and I might replace it with 0.40mm.

 

  

A head scratcher

This shot highlights an issue that's been concerning me for some time, namely the wide gap between the two sets of shrouds. The fore shrouds have a similar gap, and in both cases I'm wondering how practical the ratlines would have been on the real ship. The ratlines spanning the wide gap would surely have made a very unstable ladder for the sailors, so I wonder if they might have been left out? On the model, which would look odder - a gap or unfeasibly wide ratlines?

 

What do fellow builders think?

 

Derek

 

[Glenn-UK]

I did add across the full span. May look better to rig as two for first 2/3rds and then rig as one for final 1/3

[DelF]

1 hour ago, glennard2523 said:

May look better to rig as two for first 2/3rds and then rig as one for final 1/3

That’s a good suggestion Glenn, I hadn’t thought of that

[glbarlow]

I agree, it doesn’t make much sense, they’d climb either side for the stability. It would be a unique look, but I’d leave the center gap clear.  So two opposing Glenn votes😏