HMS Winchelsea 1764 by glbarlow - FINISHED - 1:48

[glbarlow]

17 hours ago, Chuck said:

the home stretch

Thank you Chuck, for your support along the way and for this fine model.

[Rustyj]

As always your craftsmanship is first rate and that base will be fabulous. 

[glbarlow]

12 hours ago, Rustyj said:

craftsmanship

Thanks Rusty, much appreciated from someone’s who’s work I’ve admired for a very long time. 

[glbarlow]

Only the swivel guns to go to finish Chapter 11. A quick update on what was the long process of adding the chain plates to fix the deadeyes to the channels. Basically a lot of holes to drill in a straight, level, and angled lines.

Another exercise in patience, planning. placing, and adjusting each of the three mast sections of channels and deadeyes

I am a big fan of the acrylic strops and chainplates - so much easier and such a much better look than fighting through their metal equivalents. I’m not going back.

I also had a new opportunity to make many eyelets along the hull following the plans. At this point the twist around the drill bit in the vice and the cut, snip, fit is mindless, easy work. Maybe someday I’ll count how many I’ve made for Winchelsea - or maybe not.

The model is transformed with these additions - looking completely like a ship at this point (don’t look at the stem, that’s Chapter 12). It’s really quite something. I'm going to take some better photos after I finish Chpt 11. I still haven't glued in the remaining guns, but that's coming up soon.

 

Thanks for stopping by - some swivel guns are up next.

[ccoyle]

1 hour ago, glbarlow said:

I am a big fan of the acrylic strops and chainplates - so much easier and such a much better look than fighting through their metal equivalents. I’m not going back.

 

I didn't realize they were acrylic. Are these available from Syren? I agree that the metal versions are rather a pain to deal with.

[glbarlow]

30 minutes ago, ccoyle said:

acrylic. Are these available from Syren?

Yes they are, not sure how model specific they are. They need to be lightly sanded and weathering powder applied but they are great. 

[glbarlow]

Chapter 11, the model save the headworks is complete. I thought I'd share some photos:

So many cool design features stand out. As simple as the bill board may appear it was a sharp addition. As I've mentioned, I dyed the deadeyes ebony. The dye, as opposed to black paint, allows the grain to show (though hard to see in photos) I'm pleased with how they complement the colors of the overall model.

The open deck allows a nice glimpse of the stove - such a fun thing to make I'm glad it's not completely hidden.

 

The decision is still pending on whether I place the swivel guns on the bollards. I'm not sure how I feel about the look, accurate or otherwise and I'm not completely confident drilling the holes for them to fit.  I'll revisit it as I start work on the headworks. 

The midship cannons were the last thing glued in. I was holding off while my friend and I fitted the base he's making to have a place to hold. Once the gang boards were mounted they became more the thing to avoid than cannon barrels.
 

I'm happy with my decision not to rig the guns this time around. Although I appreciate those that did, in this case I like how it provides for a nice clean look. Or maybe I just didn't want to rig 32 guns.

The transition to the quarterdeck, from the lower deck letter to the breast rail provides for a lot of detail and many, many hours of work over the past 2 ½ years. It's all worth it when it all comes together. Those posts took a lot of time. So glad I took that time. 

I made the elm tree pumps two years ago but didn't add them until the ladders, rails, gang boards, and everything around them was complete. That was a good call, I would have broke them multiple times otherwise.

The stern is when all the fun is. Between port lids, more cannon, swivel guns and predominant deck furniture there is lots to see and lots of mini-projects to get there.  

One very minor thing I'm happy with: I was able to wrap and match up paper friezes for six of the swivel guns. With the angle and only two sides showing that wasn't an option for the two on the quarter gallery roof. I'm no paint specialist but I kept playing with Winsor and Newton Cerulean Blue, Titanium White, and Grumacher Mars Black until I got a nice match with the paper frieze. I know it's a small thing, I considered going the Sherman Williams store for a computer based match but not sure what I'd do with the minimum order of a quart.

I've shown versions of this photo several times, I never tire of it. For me it's a piece of art all by itself and yet another signature tribute to Chuck's design and penchant for detail. 

So here she sits ready for the final chapter. I'm taking some time off for other summer activities, I'll see how long I can go before jumping in to start chapter 12.

 

Thanks for stopping by, your likes and comments are always appreciated.

 

 

 

Edited June 7 by glbarlow

[Rustyj]

Glenn that is one beautifully built Winnie. The photos are awesome too.

[Freebird]

Totally awesome Glenn!

 

Best Regards .... Rick

[Nunnehi (Don)]

Beautiful, Glen, just beautiful!

[Tossedman]

So good! Well done sir!

[glbarlow]

13 hours ago, Rustyj said:

The photos are awesome too

Thanks Rusty. One of my summer goals is to learn more about Photoshop’s new AI features. Maybe I’ll create an image of Winnie on the high seas😊

 

 

[glbarlow]

13 hours ago, Freebird said:

Totally awesome

Thank you, much appreciated. 
 

 

12 hours ago, Nunnehi (Don) said:

just beautiful!

Thank you!

12 hours ago, Tossedman said:

Well done

Thank you!

 

 

I appreciate all your comments!

[Trussben]

She’s a Beaut!

[woodartist]

A real piece of fine art

[glbarlow]

On 6/11/2024 at 3:31 PM, Trussben said:

She’s a Beaut!

 

On 6/11/2024 at 3:52 PM, woodartist said:

real piece of fine art

Thank you both for the comments, much appreciated!

[glbarlow]

After a family trip to Costa Rica with my adult sons, our wives and grand children it’s back to building.  I left off with a reluctance to add swivel guns to the bollards.

 

I’ve stayed pretty true to Chuck’s design, so ultimately I added them.  They are kinda necessary for balance, the two on the forecastle were lonely. 

 

On to the final chapter, the head works around the bow. More to follow, lots going on in a very small space. 

 

Edited June 21 by glbarlow

[scrubbyj427]

It’s been awhile since I checked in but your Winnie looks magnificent Glenn! And now you are officially ahead of me! 
 

JJ

[glbarlow]

4 hours ago, scrubbyj427 said:

you are officially ahead of me

Thanks JJ. I’m thinking with my current progress you’ll quickly catch up. The head works are a whole new game. 

[scrubbyj427]

27 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

Thanks JJ. I’m thinking with my current progress you’ll quickly catch up. The head works are a whole new game. 

Maybe so, except my Winnie is 4000 miles away from my workbench. 

[glbarlow]

7 minutes ago, scrubbyj427 said:

Winnie is 4000 miles

Well, that would make it more challenging. 

[scrubbyj427]

6 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

Well, that would make it more challenging. 

😂

[glbarlow]

Main Rail, Timbers, and Lower Rail - Chapter 12

 

It’s been a while, I took some time off for summer activities but that’s not the main reason for the delay between posts. I have to say solving the first part of chapter 12; the main rails, timbers and lower rail has been the most challenging and frustrating of my three year journey with Winchelsea.

The main rails themselves are a work of art, multi-dimensional and made from six laser cut pieces of multiple thicknesses they are fun to assemble (how @Chuck cuts this stuff so small, thin, and complex is beyond me) .

 

Shaping and fitting them isn’t overly difficult. I had very little luck with rubber cement, double sided tape or even Blu-Tac so mostly I just fumbled my way through, dropping them to the floor multiple times until I got it close. As I’d learn later I spent too much time on this and ended up having to make another set more conducive to the timber set-up. The main lesson is to have all the component parts complete before making too many adjustments on each alone. It’s not like this isn’t made clear in the monograph, I should listen better.

The timbers. Here is where my peace and harmony came to a crashing end. I made many timbers, my thanks to Chuck for sending me extra, I needed them. At first it seemed straight forward; use the provided jig, cut them, and stick them on add the upper rails after cutting some nice notches for the lower rail and move on. Timber, as it turned out, is not a work I want to hear again unless its related to falling trees.

Why you might ask is it not so simple as it may appear. Because there are many, many, many angles to account for and two sides to match on top of that. The rise of the main rail at the cat tail, the angle of all three timbers supporting the main rail from cat to stem, the notches in those timbers, which aren’t a lot of fun to cut, matching the curve of the lower rail with its run from bow to stem, and the lower rail fitting flush in the notches for the later to be added cover boards (note: I used an intentionally short piece of rail to first get the timber notches angled correctly).

 

At this point I quit taking photos. There are no new ones because I was doing the same thing over and over to get it right. I could have settled on 'good enough' a few times, I hadn’t done that yet so I wasn’t now. I would also like to point out that I skipped high school geometry class whenever possible.

 

Here’s what I learned - and again the monograph doesn’t hide this point, it emphasizes it - nothing can be done serially. It all has to be done as one big puzzle assembled all together before anything is installed. Eventually my one exception was fitting the center timber (after determining its angle on my hull wasn’t the same as the jig) and working out from there. Ultimately the bigger challenge was the lower rail. Also as I noted I wasn’t having a lot of luck with rubber cement and only limited success with my ever ready double sided tape, so fumbling fingers was my path forward. I considered installing a small trampoline below my work table so the many dropped parts would bounce back up into my hands. There was a lot of touch up painting needed at the end, some of it yet to be done in the photos.

 

I seem to be making a bigger point of this than I’ve seen in other logs so perhaps it’s just my ineptness, others must have found it far easier to complete. I just have to say for the first time I really didn’t enjoy the process and I’m glad it’s behind me. As they say, and I firmly put into practice, failure is the path forward to learning.

I did get there…eventually. Ultimately the rails are a signature look and a unique complement to the model. While it would have been nice it had been easier for me, it’s all worth it in the end.

I looked at my past models and more fully appreciate how Winchelsea’s main rail design is so next level. With all my whining in this post I’m very glad I took the time to do it as best I could, now I know so much more about angles on angles. My high school geometry teacher would be proud, if he could remember the guy supposed to be in the empty seat. Plus it’s not like the remaining steps of chapter 12 are going to be a walk in the park. So on with it.

 

Thanks for stopping by with your comments and likes.

Edited August 9 by glbarlow

[Chuck]

Well Done...yes its a challenge.  But as you said, all of those other kits really dont do this area of the ship justice.   That can clearly be seen with your Winnie.  Well worth the effort.  I suspect you wont be looking at other headrails on future kits you build the same way again.

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Headworks are such an important part on a model, and she looks just great.

Well done Glenn.👏🏻

 

B.E.

[glbarlow]

7 minutes ago, Chuck said:

suspect you wont be looking at other headrails on future kits

Absolutely, only one of many things I’ll never view the same on other models again. 

[glbarlow]

6 minutes ago, Blue Ensign said:

such an important part on a model

Thanks BE, much appreciated!

[woodartist]

46 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

Main Rail, Timbers, and Lower Rail - Chapter 12

 

It’s been a while, I took some time off for summer activities but that’s not the main reason for the delay between posts. I have to say solving the first part of chapter 12; the main rails, timbers and lower rail has been the most challenging and frustrating of my three year journey with Winchelsea.

The main rails themselves are a work of art, multi-dimensional and assembled from six laser cut pieces of multiple thicknesses they are fun to assemble (how @Chuck cuts this stuff so small, thin, and complex is beyond me) .

 

Shaping and fitting them isn’t overly difficult. I had very little luck with rubber cement, double sided tape or even Blu-Tac so mostly I just fumbled my way through, dropping them to the floor multiple times until I got it close. As I’d learn later I spent too much time on this and ended up having to make another set more conducive to the timber set-up. The main lesson is to have all the component parts complete before making too many adjustments on each alone. It’s not like this isn’t made clear in the monograph, I should listen better.

The timbers… Here is where my peace and harmony came to a crashing end. I made many timbers, my thanks to Chuck for sending me extra, I needed them. At first it seemed straight forward; use the provided jig cut them and stick them on add the upper rails after cutting some nice notches for the lower rail and move on. Timber is not a work I want to hear again unless its related to falling trees.

Why you might ask is it not so simple as it may appear. Because there are many, many, many angles to account for and two sides to match on top of that. The rise of the main rail at the cat tail, the angle of all three timbers supporting the main rail from cat to stem, the notches in those timbers, which aren’t a lot of fun to cut, matching the curve of the lower rail with its run from bow to stem, and the lower rail fitting flush in the notches for the later to be added cover boards (note: I used an intentionally short piece of rail to first get the timber notches angled correctly).

 

At this point I quit taking photos. There are no new photos because I was doing the same thing over and over to get it right. I could have settled on 'good enough' a few times but I hadn’t done that yet so I wasn’t now. I would also like to point out that I skipped high school geometry class whenever possible.

 

Here’s what I learned - and again the monograph doesn’t hide this point, it emphasizes it - nothing can be done serially. It all has to be done as one big puzzle assembled all together before anything is installed. Eventually my one exception was fitting the center timber (after determining its angle on my hull wasn’t the same as the jig) and working out from there. Ultimately the bigger challenge was the lower rail. Also as I noted I wasn’t having a lot of luck with rubber cement and only limited success with my ever ready double sided tape, so fumbling fingers was my path forward. I considered installing a small trampoline below my work table so the many dropped parts would bounce back up into my hands. There was a lot of touch up painting needed at the end, some of it yet to be done in the photos.

 

I seem to be making a bigger point of this than I’ve seen in other logs so perhaps it’s just my ineptness, others must have found it far easier to complete. I just have to say for the first time I really didn’t enjoy the process and I’m glad it’s behind me. As they say, and  firmly put into practice, failure is the path forward to learning.

I did get there. Ultimately the rails are a signature item and unique complement to the model. While it would have been nice it had been easier for me, it’s all worth it in the end.

I looked at my past models and more fully appreciate how Winchelsea’s main rail design is so next level. With all my whining is this post I’m very glad I took the time to do it as best I could, and now I know so much more about angles on angles. My high school geometry teacher would be proud, if he could remember the guy supposed to be in the empty seat. Plus it’s not like the remaining steps of chapter 12 are going to be a walk in the park. So on with it.

 

Thanks for stopping by with your comments and likes.

It looks fabulous from every perspective. It seems a long way off, but i will remember your struggle and victory

[glbarlow]

On 8/8/2024 at 4:38 PM, woodartist said:

i will remember your struggle and victory

Thank you, I appreciate your commenting. It is certainly worth doing it again to get it right.

[Rustyj]

Very well done Glenn! Your hard work really paid off. That is great result which is a testament to your dedication to getting it right.