HM Colonial Schooner for Port Jackson Mercury by Siegfried - 1802/03 1:64

[Siegfried]

Hello,

 

Yesterday and this morning I spend a few hours to work on a kind of cleat at the bow of the schooner. Honestly spoken, I do not have any idea which tackle it is for. Does someone have an answer?

 

In the first I was starting to shape the notch for the block and then have water it to bending the wood into the right radius. For bending the wood I did use a simple water boiler as it has the same circumference as the bow of the ship. Lucky Daniel. 

 

Unfortunately the first try wasn't crowned with success as the open notch for the block get scrunched by the clamps while drying. 

 

For the second try I put it in water again for soaking and have made a little jig. Secondly I filled the notch with a little piece of spare wood to avoid that the open notch gets compressed again. It turned out well and after a little carving I could place both pieces onto the handrail.

 

Next I have to turn the blocks on the turning lathe, fixing the wood by nails and to paint it black as it was common practice at this time. Alternatively I am thinking of to let it natural as the details might be better apparent. I am not really sure now.

 

Cheers, Daniel

Edited October 11, 2015 by Siegfried

[Siegfried]

...finally I paint the block in black and have made two sheaves with a convex profile fitted by a bolt made of fixing pin with a reshaped pin head in diamond / pyramid look.

 

Enjoy your Sunday evening.

Daniel

[Siegfried]

Hello, now I am working on the cat head. It is sitting in an iron band. On the original NMM draughts it is not recognisable, if it had  a stopper notch in the head's face or if it was fitted with a site cleat. On Marquardt's draughts he has shown a side cleat. In his book Global Schooner her has preferred a notch option in the head's face. Hmmm...

 

First, I had to calculate the angels of the draughts on Marquardt's plan and to transfer it to scale paper for getting the right shape of the cat heads. 

 

Daniel

[Siegfried]

During the last weeks my progress became slow down but here is a little update,

Daniel

[Siegfried]

And then...

[Siegfried]

Hello all together,

 

now I am working on the copper plating of the underwater hull and did in the first a jig with three stamps for the palates at the portside, starboard and for the keel. In 1:64 scale the size for the side plate measures 19 mm x 6.3 mm and for the sheets on the keel it is 19 mm x 9.2 mm. To make the jig flexible the rear panel of the jig can be adjusted by additional sheets to fit the different stamps.

 

Daniel

[Siegfried]

how it looks like on the model. So far so good..

[Siegfried]

Hello, the portside is completed

Daniel

[Siegfried]

Thank you all for your likes.

 

I am now proceeding with the under water hull and working on the false keel. I know, originally, it has to be fixed by copper nails to avoid chemical reaction between the copper plating under the false keel with different metal, e.g, brass or metal.

 

Just one minor thing I don't know. Had the false keel any caulking between the wood and the copper? Does anybody out there know that?

 

Thanks for feedback.

Daniel

Edited January 4, 2016 by Siegfried

[Mirabell61]

very nice build Daniel,

 

the self made coppering device looks fine    ​ ...

​

​Nils

[Siegfried]

Hi Nils, thank you for your comment.

 

Meanwhile I've fixed the false keel with 0.4 mm copper nails...

Daniel

[Siegfried]

Hello all together out there,

 

Thank you very much for your likes on my post.

 

Today I've finished the my work on the capstan.

Daniel

 

[Siegfried]

Hello out there,

 

Thanks you all very much for your Likes. Today I've finished the bended parts of the driftrail, finally. I milled a tube made of Swiss pear with an inner diameter of 4 mm and a thickness of 1 mm. next I've quartered it carefully and shaped the pieces to the run of the rail.

 

Daniel

Edited January 16, 2016 by Siegfried

[hornet]

Hi Siegfried

 

Just discovered your Mercury build. It looks great. I have built this one myself - from the kit by Modeller's Shipyard/Central. Could I ask, is this based on that kit or is it a totally scratch build?

 

Also, earlier in your build log you stated that the Mercury is depicted on the Australian $10 note. It is in fact depicted on the Australian $20 note along with its owner Mary Reibey. She was a VERY interesting character. If you have not read about her, she led a very interesting (and long) life. I have scanned a $20 Aussie banknote below for you to have a look at and a brief biography of Mary as well.

 

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/reibey-mary-2583

 

 

Cheers

Steve

Edited January 17, 2016 by hornet

[Siegfried]

Hello Steve,

 

Thank you very much for the correction regarding the bank note. My fault. I have never been in Australia. It seems so that ms Reibey was a tough lady, especially under the circumstances of the early years in the Australian colonies. 

 

My build is completely scratch build following the draughts of Karl Heinz Marquardt in his book Global Schooners. I too use copies of the original NMM draughts ZAZ6101 (frames and deck layout), ZAZ6100 (sheer plan) and ZAZ6102 (middle & lower pintle brace of the rudder). The scale of the build is 1:64. As I do remember right, the scale of Modellers' Shipyard's kit is 1:50. Isn't it?

 

Best, Daniel

[Siegfried]

Attached you will find some selected pictures from the very beginning of the build posted on the MSW I three years ago.

 

Daniel

[Siegfried]

and...

[hornet]

You are correct Daniel it is 1:50. Your build leaves it for dead though

 

Cheers

Steve

[Siegfried]

some progress on the rudder...

[Siegfried]

Hello,

 

thank you very much for your Likes. Here are some pictures about the further progress on the rudder. Next I have to cover the underwater part with copper sheaths and to assemble the hinges made of copper too.

 

Best, Daniel

Edited January 23, 2016 by Siegfried

[Siegfried]

Hello,

 

and so is the rudder looking after copper sheathing and some paint work. The hinges are not finished yet. To copper the areas behind the hinges was a very fiddle job as well as the part with the notch on the backside. I have researched all my monographes, plans and anatomies. On all other ship plans the notch on the rudder was marked over the waterline and therefore generally not coppered. However, on NMM original drawings of the Schooner for Port Jackson the notch is clearly visible under the  waterline. The first time I saw that and I have realised that tiny little detail just today. Does someone know another examples? Marquardt has drawn in his plans an additional batten on the backside thats is not drawn on the original plans. I do assume it is something like a false keel with protective effect.

 

Best, Daniel

[Siegfried]

Meanwhile I've finished the capstan with metal rings...

[Siegfried]

Hello out there,

 

After many years it's time to re-start my builds on the Mercury Schooner and on the Bounty. I moved twice and first had to gather all my tools. My plan for today was to fix the rudder on the Mercury, finally. However, During the last years the adhesive of the copper tape doesn't sticks anymore properly. It looks sh..., doesn't it? I tried to fix it with some super glue but with no success. hmmm.

 

Has anyone a tip what type of glue i can use. I guess I need a very liquid glue. Every advise is warm welcome!!!

 

Best, Daniel

[tkay11]

Sorry to hear about the problems with the models, Daniel, but it's great that you're back on the forum. I have no advice to give. The only glues I can think of that might work are contact adhesive or two-part 5-minute epoxy.

 

Tony

[Siegfried]

Hello out there,

 

During the course of last week I had the chance to fix the issue with the copper sheathing. By using some thin super glue I carefully fixed each single plate. Afterwards i had to clean up the surface with acetone and a little block of wood. Finally, I've cleaned up and smoothened the plates with some steel wool to prepare the surface for the weathering process. I made a mixture of vinegar and salt and cooked it up very shortly until the vinegar cannot melt any salt anymore, a saturated solution. Be carful! Afterwards the whole apartment smelled like vinegar. the first layer of the coat was put on the sheathing by a little sponge (normally used by my admiral for make-up...I need to discuss this fully with her later on ;-). Nothing happened actually except the surface has lost its pinky shiny glow and became dull. After one hour I've put on a second layer and put the whole model in a boil-in bag over night for a better chemical reaction. This time I just warmed up the solution a ted until it started to smell. 

 

Best, Daniel

[Siegfried]

Good morning,

 

After one night in the boil-in-bag the chemical reaction of the salt-vinegar solution with the copper is impressive and the sheathing got a strong greenish coating. Actually, it is too much for my taste and I have to reduced it (with acetone again?). Now it looks like a ship towed in the harbour standing still in water as seen on HMS Trincomalee and USS Constitution. However, I doubt that a sailing vessel afloat would have such a deep greenish coat on the surface of the copper. Due to the permanent friction of the water it actually would like more dull brownish, partially pinkish. Next stepp will be to reduce the coat and just leaving the greenish effect in the angels and on the edges of the plates and nails. Progress' coming soon.

 

Daniel

[Siegfried]

After treating the surface with 5 layers of the salt-vinegar solution and reducing it agin and again here is the final result 🙂 Now I have to treat the rudder as well.

 

I also thinking about a protection band along the waterline made by "elm" battens but I'm not sure if this was common practice on such small vessels. Marquardt hasn't mentioned it in his book and on his plans of the Port Jackson Schooner. Due to the tropic conditions, especially in the North of Australia it might make sense to protect the copper on the waterline. But I can be totally wrong.