HMS Ariadne 1776 (based on HMS Sphinx) by wvdhee – Vanguard Models – 1:64 - after 1793 refit as 24 gun 6th rate

[brunnels]

That yellow and black is starting to look really sharp, can't wait to see how it looks with the copper. 

[Blue Ensign]

Nice work on the stern  facia and Quarter galleries. 👍

 

B.E.

[Nipper]

I've only just found this log, Walter, so now I'm following.  As a fellow Sphinx builder, I'm really looking forward to seeing your modifications.

Have you thought as far ahead as rigging and sails?  What's the plan for these, if any?

 

Nipper

[wvdhee]

5 hours ago, Nipper said:

I've only just found this log, Walter, so now I'm following.  As a fellow Sphinx builder, I'm really looking forward to seeing your modifications.

Have you thought as far ahead as rigging and sails?  What's the plan for these, if any?

 

Nipper

 

No sails and rigging as per instructions. I do plan to get the fancy blocks from Chuck though 😊

[wvdhee]

6 hours ago, Blue Ensign said:

Nice work on the stern  facia and Quarter galleries. 👍

 

B.E.

Ty Sir, really appreciated ☺️ 

[wvdhee]

A little bit off topic maybe (or not) but as a little side project I started a second Ariadne 😉

Oil on canvas this time and far from finished like the first. But I thought I’d ask you guys, being sailing experts as well, what sails would have been set in a stormy situation like this? So I know what to paint 😊

 

Thanks,

Walter.

[Thukydides]

Amazying! You are quite the artist.

 

Not an expert by any means, but given the way you have her leaning larboard and the way the waves are formed I picture her with the wind on her beam or maybe close reached. Given the windy conditions I would suspect the topgallants would be lowered. I would imagine something like the below image. Note the sails are all turned at least 45 degrees to the larboard side. I included a jib and flying jib and foresail. Depending on the amount of wind and stormy conditions you may want to lower sails and potentially strike masts. There is a really cool contemporary diagram of a french frigate showing various points of sail that is reproduced in 'The history of the french frigate'. I can take a picture when I get home of the most relevant point of sail.

Also a really minor point, but I feel she should be sitting a little lower in the water.

Edited March 14 by Thukydides

[wvdhee]

3 hours ago, Thukydides said:

Amazying! You are quite the artist.

 

Not an expert by any means, but given the way you have her leaning larboard and the way the waves are formed I picture her with the wind on her beam or maybe close reached. Given the windy conditions I would suspect the topgallants would be lowered. I would imagine something like the below image. Note the sails are all turned at least 45 degrees to the larboard side. I included a jib and flying jib and foresail. Depending on the amount of wind and stormy conditions you may want to lower sails and potentially strike masts. There is a really cool contemporary diagram of a french frigate showing various points of sail that is reproduced in 'The history of the french frigate'. I can take a picture when I get home of the most relevant point of sail.

Also a really minor point, but I feel she should be sitting a little lower in the water.

 

I'd love to see that picture of the French frigate yes 🙂

and indeed now I see it again, she should be lower in the water, will do it

[Thukydides]

Here is the picture I mentioned. It dates from the 1780s and depicts a frigate close hauled.

[wvdhee]

Copper

 

With the channels and steps attached, the outside hull is more or less done. So a coat of varnish and some tape to indicate the waterline and time to add the copper plates.

I've never done it before, so I studied BE's Harpy log for hours and finally felt I could do it.

It'll take some time for sure, but I am not in a hurry.

So far so good I'd say, great that macro photography has been banned though 😜

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Good luck with the plating Walter.

 There are a couple there that look a little suspect, but remember that they ping off quite easily with the point of a scalpel blade. Any you feel less than happy with are best removed and replaced, there should be plenty of spares to allow for this. Try and get them as close as possible to the adjacent plates and cover any gaps.

Keep you eye on the top line, you may find it necessary to slightly overlap in certain places to maintain the line, but if it starts to run off the effect will be magnified strake upon strake.

 

B.E.

[wvdhee]

22 minutes ago, Blue Ensign said:

Good luck with the plating Walter.

 There are a couple there that look a little suspect, but remember that they ping off quite easily with the point of a scalpel blade. Any you feel less than happy with are best removed and replaced, there should be plenty of spares to allow for this. Try and get them as close as possible to the adjacent plates and cover any gaps.

Keep you eye on the top line, you may find it necessary to slightly overlap in certain places to maintain the line, but if it starts to run off the effect will be magnified strake upon strake.

 

B.E.

 

Thanks Maurice for your remarks. I will try CA gel tonight to have more time to adjust the placement, it's a bit too fast for me right now.

 

[wvdhee]

More Copper

 

So, I switched to CA gel and abandoned the pick up tool and I'm in the groove now 😎

What I do is putting a dozen or so tiny ca gel dots on the hull, where the copper plate goes and then hold the plate between thumb and index and offer it to the corner where it goes and let it "fall" into place, guided by fingers of course. Then rub the plate with a dowel or a piece of wood and then clean with acetone.

Another observation is (call me crazy) that I'm loving it! A bit like ratlines, some people hate it, I love it. It's calming and relaxing imho. I might change my mind after I've done the entire British navy obviously.

 

A pic of course...

(coppering is great to hide those huge gaps too 😉)

[wvdhee]

Copper continued

 

Yes, it's very time consuming and certainly the waterline. It's actually never ending cause there's always a plate that can be done better.

But starboard is done! (until I decide some plates need work ofc) The amount of plates provided by Chris is largely sufficient to correct many errors.

I am thinking about adding a batten, but I actually wanted to avoid it, dunno yet. (being indecisive is horrible I know)

I'll start with the other side tonight 😊

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Looking good Walter, and that's a good clean line you have achieved at the waterline.

Not sure about  being  'calming and relaxing' but you do get into a sort of rhythm with this task, much as you do with ratlines.

I'm still glad I progressed both sides  together so I wasn't faced with having to do it all over again.🫤

 

B.E.