Le Soleil Royal by Bill97 - FINISHED - Heller - 1/100

[Bill97]

Thanks Ian. 

[JEFFRAV]

On 2/8/2023 at 3:01 PM, Bill97 said:

Back from California and in the shipyard again. Painted the inside of the upper bulwarks red and set them aside to thoroughly dry. I will then begin the task of preparing the front side to be painted blue. I have a bit of tedious work around the balusters with getting a sharp blue on the sides and front, and red on the back. In the meantime I have begun making a bazillion eyebolts for rigging the cannons that will show. I want to put the eyebolts into the side of the upper bulwarks before I eventually glue the bulwarks in place. Doing this now should make the task of drilling and gluing a bit easier. From what I can make out in the photos I see, an authentic rigging of the cannons requires 4 eyebolts in the upper bulwarks at each hatch or opening. Two on each side. I will be making many more that will be later attached to the cannons and n the deck behind the cannons to complete the cannon rigging. 

Bill looking great. I follow your Victory build which turned out beautiful. Getting ready to do the tackle on the show guns on upper gun deck of my Victory. I see you are making your own eye bolts and was wondering what diameter of the eyes and gauge of the wire you are using as i will be making my own too. I don't know if this is the wrong place to post this if so i apologize.

[Kevin-the-lubber]

Bill, if you don't mind me saying so, one of the nice things about dropping in on this log from time to time is seeing how self-assured you've become - you seem to have a clear plan for this ship, know where you're going and are just getting on with it. That's an enviable trait, I always struggle with completing/finishing.

 

Hope the COVID remains not so bad. I got it last year and the worst of it was that everything tasted of salt for a couple of weeks.

[Hubac's Historian]

The leafing is coming along beautifully, Bill!

[Bill97]

I have continued the process of adding gold leaf to the port side UB. Picked up a few technique ideas doing the gold leaf on the SB side that I am now applying to the port side. Will post photos of the two finished UBs soon. Will then very carefully mount them to the hull and the bulkhead beakhead. 

[Bill97]

JEFFRAV I apologize for just now seeing your post from the other day.  I am using a 24g brass wire and blackening. I selected a piece of stronger wire a bit bigger gauge than the brass wire to bend to the shape you see in the photo.  I needed something stronger so it would not bend while I was twisting the eyebolt.  Not exactly sure what gauge it is. Not a lot bigger than the brass.

 

PS. Got to get Lamar Jackson back healthy and on the field for the Ravens. He is my hometown quarterback doing good in the NFL! 😊

Edited February 23, 2023 by Bill97

[Bill97]

Thanks Kevin for your comment. I do feel a lot more self assured now building the Soleil Royal than I was at this stage of my Victory build. I learned so much from you guys during that build. I was so pensive about each and every step because I had no idea what I was doing and learned as I went along. That often resulted in me having to undo a step and fix it once you guys patiently explained how it was supposed to be done. Fortunately with this build I have continued to read through several builds and have a general plan as to where I want to go, and now understand the nautical terms along with the how and why. The hull of the Soleil Royal is much more ornamental than the Victory hull and as such will require more artistic rendering. But except for some additional enhancements I decided to include, it is pretty straightforward as to knowing my desired outcome. Now actually getting there is another story 😊

 

I think I have just about made it through my Covid battle. Did not loose to much taste. My main symptom has been congestion and cough. Pretty much spent the equivalent cost of a new car on over the counter medication to get through it. 

I also continue to check in on your Cutty Sark adventure. Always fascinating to see what you can do with your 3D printer. 

[JEFFRAV]

8 hours ago, Bill97 said:

JEFFRAV I apologize for just now seeing your post from the other day.  I am using a 24g brass wire and blackening. I selected a piece of stronger wire a bit bigger gauge than the brass wire to bend to the shape you see in the photo.  I needed something stronger so it would not bend while I was twisting the eyebolt.  Not exactly sure what gauge it is. Not a lot bigger than the brass.

 

PS. Got to get Lamar Jackson back healthy and on the field for the Ravens. He is my hometown quarterback doing good in the NFL! 😊

Thanks for the reply. I bought some 22 gauge wire yesterday and seemed to be big. Did not like the way it looked. Ordered some 24 gauge brass wire and go from there. Would it be alright if i PM you every now and then as tour victory build is my go to guide among others and have a million questions. Wealth of info here on MSW.

PS. I love Lamar i think he's the most exciting player in the NFL. Don't know what's going to happen with him with the contract neg. everything is mum right now .We will have to see.

[Bill97]

Sure JEFFRAV feel free to PM anytime. This is definitely paying it forward. I am sure I wore out several builders while I built mine. Do you have Longridge’s book?  A definite must when you get to the rigging especially if your Victory kit came with the older version instructions. Below is the wire I ordered from Amazon. 
Reference Lamar and his contact negotiation, I look for information on the Raven’s web site all the time. We will see. I thought the Raven’s were in route to a possible championship earlier in the season before he got hurt. 

Edited February 23, 2023 by Bill97

[JEFFRAV]

22 hours ago, Bill97 said:

Sure JEFFRAV feel free to PM anytime. This is definitely paying it forward. I am sure I wore out several builders while I built mine. Do you have Longridge’s book?  A definite must when you get to the rigging especially if your Victory kit came with the older version instructions. Below is the wire I ordered from Amazon. 
Reference Lamar and his contact negotiation, I look for information on the Raven’s web site all the time. We will see. I thought the Raven’s were in route to a possible championship earlier in the season before he got hurt. 

Bill97 that's exactly what i got should be here this weekend

 

22 hours ago, Bill97 said:

Sure JEFFRAV feel free to PM anytime. This is definitely paying it forward. I am sure I wore out several builders while I built mine. Do you have Longridge’s book?  A definite must when you get to the rigging especially if your Victory kit came with the older version instructions. Below is the wire I ordered from Amazon. 
Reference Lamar and his contact negotiation, I look for information on the Raven’s web site all the time. We will see. I thought the Raven’s were in route to a possible championship earlier in the season before he got hurt. 

Bill 97 that's exactly what i bought. Should be here this weekend along with the blocks i ordered for the gun tackle. If you don't know i started a ship build a while back on MSW. I don't want to highjack your Soleil Royal build wih Victory questions.

[Bill97]

Great JEFFRAV. I will look for it. 

[Bill97]

As I am getting close to finishing the painting and guilding the upper bulwarks I am reviewing back through other builds, especially your’s Marc, to see the best way to properly secure them to to the top edge of the hull and the beakhead bulkhead. Marc I see in one of your photos you used a series of clamps with deep throats that would reach over the top of the UB and down to the joint. This I am sure provided excellent clamping for a secure and satisfactory joining of the long length of the hull and UB. Unfortunately I do not have many clamps with that deep of a throat. If necessary i will purchase a bunch but curious in the absence of such clamps what have others done ?

[Hubac's Historian]

I will say that these kind of clamps are worth the small investment, as they have good clamping pressure and are non-marring.  You will find many applications for their use.  Without clamps, I would be inclined to use moderately quick-set CA glue and hold with finger pressure until they set.  That would not be ideal, on the other hand, if you have already joined the fore and aft bulwarks together; not enough open time.  The problem is that these parts have to flex a fair amount to fit into their rabbets.  This is why I used additional glue tabs, both so that I had something more substantial to clamp to and a broader glue surface-area for a stronger bond.

[Bill97]

Thanks Marc. I will definitely study this a while before I attempt attaching the UBs. 
I have finished painting and gold leafing the UBs and have set them aside for now. I want to attach to the stern end the molded decorative enhancements I cut out of the side galleries. Instead of trying to sand away the back plastic so just the decoration remains I will probably just make a mold and cast new pieces to attach to the UB. I initially only opened up the top 3 “windows” but now I am seriously thinking of opening the bottom 3 as well. I would then make casts of all 6 enhancements and attach them to the appropriate place on the hull and UB. I clearly see if I do the bottom 3 I will need to repaint the rear portion of my hull the same blue in the area behind the side galleries. I will also need to fabricate decking for both levels inside the side galleries. Would there have been doors that opened for the side galleries from inside the ship?

Edited February 27, 2023 by Bill97

[Bill97]

Disregard the part of my comment above where I ask about doors. After close examination of the stern plate I see there are a number of doors molded into the plastic. 

[Bill97]

Starting a rather big do over!  Since I began casting the many different enhancements I have been adding to the ship I have been less than pleased with the product I was making. All of my different castings were coming out like a stale gummy. They were not hard enough to do a final carve or shape with a knife or sand paper. They were just flexible. For the many enhancements I made for the top of the cannon hatches I did the best I could gold leafing and gluing a gummy above each hatch. Never was completely satisfied! After doing some research and talking with someone who does a lot of resin casting I came to the conclusion I was being my own worst enemy. I was doing everything wrong during the resin mixing process. I was informed I needed to warm the two ingredients to at least 70 degrees, mix the exact same amount of the two ingredients (don’t guess with a tea spoon), and do not use was covered mixing cups. All 3 of these instructions I was not doing correctly. After experimenting with the newly acquired knowledge I got a hard resin cast. Exactly what I have wanted all along. I am now in the process of casting the sections I cut out of the side galleries that will be glued to the hull and UB inside the opening in the galleries. I am also redoing all the hatch enhancements. I need to remove all the gummy’s and replace them with the new hard gold leafed ones. 

[Bill97]

I got a little tickled when I saw the 6 👍 for my last post. Apparently all my MSW friends agree I need to get the gummy garbage off my ship 😀.

[Bill97]

After much ado I have finished making the new resin hatch enhancements and replaced the gummy enhancements already on the UB.  Then I applied gold leaf to the enhancements and the decorations between the cannon hatches. I think I am about ready to the UBs to the hull. Have a new “oh curse word” I need to figure out a way to fix. Even though I am sure I had it tied in a knot, I somehow accidentally pulled one of my anchor ropes out. With the deck in I can no longer easily access the holes. 

[Veszett Roka]

Jewelry work Bill, beyond impressive.

[Baker]

Indeed,very nice work 👍

[Bill97]

Thanks guys. Appreciate your kind words. 
I read in a number of your builds that attaching the UBs can be a challenge because of the stress on the curve. Mine just set perfectly in place during dry fitting. Hopefully this is a good sign. Will definitely update once completed. Wish me luck. 

[Ian_Grant]

Good luck! And good work!

[Bill97]

This is the view of the port side UB just setting there dry fitted. No clamps. May be a good sign. 

[popeye2sea]

Don't worry about the anchor cable. It doesn't need to be attached to anything inside. You can just let the end sit inside. There will be no tension on it. Or simply glue it into the hawse hole.

 

Regards,

Henry

[Ian_Grant]

Bill, be sure to touch up the black on the top of the wale before attaching the UB's; will be easier than masking later.

[Kevin-the-lubber]

Great work Bill. Your experimentation with resin casting is very like the learning process with resin printing - 2 steps forward, 1 back, but bit by bit you figure it out.

[Bill97]

Starboard UB glued in place. Only took 3 clamps to hold it in place and tape at the bulkhead. Do notice I have a small gap at the beakhead bulkhead I will need to fill sand and touch up. I could not slide the UB any further forward to close the gap because the five hatches at the back of the UB have a notch they fit in on top of the wale. I appear to have an adequate amount of glue squeeze out to confirm I have a solid joint. Will see after I let it set for a while. Fingers crossed. Then to the port side if no issues. 
 

Ian in fact scraped the paint off the top of the wale in hopes it would improve my bare plastic to plastic joint. Did not know if paint on top the wale would decrease the strength of my joint. 
 

Henry that is a great idea for my wayward anchor rope. Still no idea how it came untied and pulled out. Retied the one still in extra tight. 

Edited March 6, 2023 by Bill97

[Bill97]

Port side UB glued in. Do not have the small gap on the port side at the beakhead bulkhead. Forecastle deck dry fitted in place and to appears to fit snuggly. I think all is good. 
I do have about a 1/16” gap on the inside at the front and back, with the gap much thinner in the center where it will be visible. I will need to fill, sand, and touch up the gaps as well. The only way I could have prevented these gaps would have been to shave down the top of the wale, which I did not want to do. 

[Hubac's Historian]

That’s quite lucky on the fit.  It is always a good idea to scrape paint away for a plastic to plastic weld.  Without doing so, your bond is only as good as the paint’s adherence to the plastic.  Looking great, Bill!

[Bill97]

Thanks Marc. Once I feel sure the glue weld is solid I will start the process of fine tuning everything. A little touch up here, a little gap filling there, etc. I feel pretty sure I am going to make hatch enhancements to go below the hatches as you did and I keep going back and forth on the skids. I know you did them as two separate pieces (the hull section and the UB section). If I do make them they will obviously just be one complete piece. Still not sure. Don’t know if I can get them to look as good as your’s. I would rather not add skids to the sides of the ship that look real amateur both in design and fit. Would rather maybe just add some rope or other idea going up the sides of the steps as I have seen other builders do. Will maybe tinker with some prototypes to see how good of a fit I can get.