Jylland by laps - FINISHED - Billing Boats - 1:100

[laps]

Hi All,

 

After a few request I have decided to recreate my build log of BB Frigate Jylland. I have most of the photos from the log on my PC but unfortunately not the writing and discussions contained in the old blog. It's been a while since build the model (and it is still not complete) so I'll do my best writing down what I remembered - especially where I deviated from the plans and did a few modifications.

 

I will just ask you to be patient with me. It is rather tedious work (and not the most interesting to re-create and entire build log) but I'll do my best to hurry up.

 

As a teaser we should end up with somethings like this:

 

 

/Lars Peter

[laps]

The real ship

 

Several ships have been named Jylland (Jutland in English) but the Frigate Jylland is the last to have this name. It was completed in 1860 as the world's last srew-propelled frigate build entirely of wood. During the 1864 war it saw naval action against the Austrian-Prussian fleet at the battle of Helgoland where it sustained considerable damage.

 

In the 1890s the ship was reduced to stationary use and barely escaped scrapping in 1908. It was, however, decided to preserve her and she was towed to Ebeltoft in 1960. The hulked frigate further deteriorated until she was placed in dry dock in 1984. Restoration proved to be a major task; over 60% of the timber had to be replaced in addition to the rigging, armament, engines and loose gear.

 

Some of the above is  taken from Wikipedia and it is not entirely correct. The steam engines was scrapped in 1892 but I have heard, the museeum is planning to build an replica.

 

 

Jylland is today sitting in dry dock due to a warped keel. It is located in Ebeltoft, Denmark and is open for vistors. The restauration work continues.

 

Some figures

Jylland had a crew of 430 men. It had 44 cannons and is today known as the world's longest war ship build entirely of wood.

 

Length: 71 meters

Width: 13 meters

Depth: 6 meters

Displacement: 2456 tonnes

 

I have some detail photos of the ship which can be found here: https://plus.google.com/photos/107544960066597140114/albums/5388856511393884641

 

Also, I have downloaded a 33 pages document expalining in details how the ship was build and it's history until today. Unfortunately it is in Danish but I plan to translate it for you all to see. It is quite interesting.

 

The BB kit

 

The kit for building the Frigate Jylland is made by Billing Boats. Some of you are familiar with the quality of BB kits (or should I say lack thereof). You can build a resonable model directly from the box if you favour lots of plastic parts, water decals for gun ports etc. I did some modifications to the kit and added (will add) details that are not part of the kit. Also, I did a few changes to the rigging as the kit drawings was wrong in a few places. The plans and instruction require a bit of imagination at times as it is not always clear how things are supposed to be made or look like. I'm definately not and expert in model building and I have made numerous mistakes along the way. I remember some of them and will explain as I re-create the log.

 

Unfortunately, I do not have the photos from the early stages of the build so we'' start off after the planking was complete.

 

I hope you'll have fun watching this log.. again for some of you.

 

/Lars Peter

 

 

 

[laps]

Planking complete

 

As mentioned in my earlier post I do not have photos of the early stages of the build. The photos below show the hull after the planking was completed. Also, filler has been added and the hull has been sanded. The hull is single planked on frame using abachi strips - not the easiest wood to work with because of the very coarse grain.

 

 

The stern was finished using balsa blocks. Here is the first one in place.

 

 

Top view of the bow.

 

 

The next photo shows the cabin panel in place. This was later replaced because I wasn't happy with it. Also the main deck has been planked.

 

 

The main deck was also modified. The outermost planks were ripped off and replaced with red planks.

 

 

More to come.

 

/Lars Peter

 

[Richard50]

Hi Liars, the build is look good. How are you doing with you Amerigo Vespucci build?

[laps]

As you could see from the last picture in my previous post, the gun port openings had been cut and lined with wooden strips. They were later painted red.

 

Brian mentioned that the lower gun ports were supplied as water decals which was also the case with my kit. I decided to cut the openings for the lower gun ports as well. In hindsight this should probably have been done prior to painting the hull. This photo shows the hull after paining. I used gloss paint which is properly not correct - I see people usually use matt paint for the hull. However, I think it looks ok.

 

 

You will also notice that I've starting applying the coppering - more about this later.

 

Lower gun ports.

 

I made the gun ports out of plywood using the water decals as templates. The small windows were drilled out and squared with a needle file. On the real ship, the gun ports consists of two halves but I didn't want to go that route. There was more than enough work making these (30 in total). I bought some dummy gun barrels and holes were also drilled for these.

 

 

Now came the scary part, cutting holes for the gun ports. I very carefully marked out the location of each port - drilled a number of holes and removed the waste with a knife. Finally, the holes were shaped to size using small files. I took my time doing this because it was very difficult to repair any damage to the paint work - gloss paint doesn't repaint well. The next photo shows the first gun port in place.

 

 

Before gluing, the ports were painted, the windows glazed and the painted dummy barrel was glued in place to act as a convenient handle for gluing the port in place.

 

Here is a photo of the first side done.

 

 

I also decided to make the four stern windows instead of using the water decals. I used double sided tape to hold the pieces in place in a small jig. Then thinned glue was brushed on. When the glue was dry, the frames were cleaned up and glazing applied. I smeared some Vaseline on the jig to prevent the frame from sticking to the jig.

 

 

Finally, holes were cut and the window frames glued in place. The photo looks a bit strange because the camera failed to capture the 3D structure of the stern.

 

 

Next up coppering...

 

/Lars Peter

 

 

 

[laps]

Coppering

 

I decided to cover the hull with copper plates instead of painting with copper paint. It adds a nice feature to the model but proved to be quite a challenge. First a photo of the real ship showing the original copper plating.

 

 

I bought some copper sheets and intended to cut out the plates from this sheet. I used a rolling knife but it still resulted in warped strips even when cutting on a hard surface.

 

 

Thus, attachment to the hull was quite difficult. I first tried gluing on the individual plates but it didn't work well as I managed to glue the plates to my fingers instead. So I cut out the strips and marked the individual plates on the strips. It worked better.

I started with the keel then did the band of plates at the water line and then filled the gap between working my way from the keel and upwards. Here's the first side completed.

 

 

Also, the rudder was coppered.

 

 

The next photo shows the rudder attached to the hull.

 

 

You may noticed that I've painted the hinges black. This was a mistake as pointed out by John (Jim Lad) and the hinges were painted with copper paint instead. It actually looked better too, I think.

 

/Lars Peter

 

 

[laps]

Hmm, looks like I never finished the rebuild of this build log. Have patience, I will do it.

 

/Lars Peter

[laps]

Recreation of build log continued. Te following is copied from the original build log back in 2009.

 

Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 5:05 pm•Post subject:
I'm still doing gun ports (only 5 to go!) This task is getting quite boring so I've started doing the various deck furniture.I deviated slightly from the instructions regarding gratings and ladders. Following the instructions gratings are supposed to be painted onto supplied plywood pieces. Instead I bought new gratings which were very difficult to assemble because of bad quality strips. However, I managed to get enough more or less unbroken pieces to get the gratings done. They were painted white and lined with 1x3 mm pine strips afterwards.
The supplied ladders are made of plastic and the steps are not angled. So these ladders are only good as vertical ladders. Again I bought some wooden ones from Billing Boats. I think these are much nicer. The pin rails has been attached to the hull and belaying pins were added. I decided not to paint the brass belaying pins. Finally, I've started work on the chainboards. Some of them have already been pinned and glued to the hull.
When I finish the gun ports I'll continue work on the deck furniture, cannons etc. and after that it's almost time to start work on the rigging.
/Lars Peter
 

 

[laps]

Recreation of build log continued.

 

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 8:46 am•Post subject: Bulding log update
One milestone accomplished -I finished the gun ports on the lower gun deck.
I'm kind of stuck with the deck fittings at the moment. I've ordered wooden dead eyes and blocks from ModelExpo. They have not arrived yet so I can't start working on fitting those to the hull. I've also ordered some Blacken-It from a Swedish company a long time ago. It was out of stock but hopefully it will arrive soon, too. Before that I cannot start rigging the canons, finishing the rudder, attaching dead eyes etc.
On the deck I've finished the gratings and rails. Still have to make handlebars for the stairs -a bit fiddly job.
The last picture show some kind of rack. It is not mentioned in the instruction. However, on the pictures I've seen of the real ship this rack secures the ropes that are used to raise and lower the screw.
I'll keep you updated when I finish some more stuff.

[laps]

Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 7:40 pm•Post subject: Building log update
Building on the Jylland has been close to nothing this summer due to various other things that had to be done. However, I managed a bit.
The rudder has been attached to the hull with brass hinges, I bought. I didn't get the Blacken-It, I tried to order in May -still out of stock it seems, so I decided to paint the hinges matt black instead. Only thing left with rudder is to find something to use as a sleeve between the rudder and the hull. I didn't cut a hole in the hull as the rudder was to short to go through the hull anyway. I'm thinking of using thin black paper for the sleeve. Do you have other suggestions for material that may be easier to work with?
On the real ship there are vertical supports along the lower gun deck which are not mentioned in the kit. I decided to add those on both sides of the hull. Do any of you know the function of these vertical structures? They are not evenly spaced along the hull as you can see.
On deck, various deck furniture have been added. Hoist for the rudder, skylights, rails for ladders etc. The skylights I madefrom scrap as I wanted something that looked like glazing. The kit supplied skylights only features water transfers for windows. Companion ways for the lower gun deck are just illustrated with black paint. More accurate would have been to cut holes and add ladders. But pieces of the lower gun deck should have been added before I assembled the hull, and I didn't think about it back then.
I have started installing the guns on the gun deck. Because of the scale, I decided to add breeching ropes only. This is really time consuming work but at least I have only 14 guns left and very difficult with my clumsy hands. Moreover, the ropes may be too short but I'm not going to change it. The guns are painted matt black. And the white rope supplied with the kit I dyed with black ink.
/Lars Peter
 

 

 

[laps]

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:51 am•Post subject:
Hi all
I've now started on the masts and bowsprit. Nice change for fitting the cannons. Also, I've added some more details to the deck.
Regarding the cannons, I've would like a more natural appearance of the breeching ropes. Do you have any suggestions how to do this? The CA glue tends to stiffen the ropes in certain places. Perhaps I could use a thin solution of PVA glue and then hold the ropes in place until they dry?
Otherwise, I think the pictures speak for themselves.
/Lars Peter
 

 

[laps]

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:56 pm•Post subject:
I've started attaching the deadeyes to the hull. This is a straight forward job. However, there's a deviation from the real ship. For deadeye straps I used the brass straps supplied with the kit. On the real ship chains were used. Also, I've decided to use the plastic deadeyes supplied with the kit. And as someone mentioned, they have to be painted anyway. Overall, this make this task quite easy -and fun too!
Also, I decided to test my scratch building skills by turning some mast rings on my small lathe. Actually, it was quite easy to do the shaping of the rings. The most difficult part was to drill the holes before I cut off the ring as the big drill bit tended to move a bit off center. For the mizzen mast the hole had to be drilled at a 82 degree angle. Actually, I think the small ring for the mizzen mast came out best. However, you can judge the results by yourself.

/Lars Peter

 

 

[laps]

Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:41 am•Post subject: Started on the rigging
I am slowly starting on the rigging while I finish up the rest of deck details. The bridge has now been put on but I still have to attach the second ladder which I made a step to short
So I have to add another step and the ladder rails.
I have also finished attaching all the deadeyes to the hull so now it's time to begin my favorite task -the rigging. I've studied the rigging plan. It's not going to be easy to figure out where all the lines go. The plan is NOT very detailed so I may have to ask a questions as I proceed. I've decided to start at the back and work my way forward.
The first four shrouds for the mizzen mast has been attached to the mast. I think the provided rigging line for these are a bit too thick but it will have to do. I've decided to keep all the standing rigging in a dark color. All the rigging thread provided in the kit is white so the first task is to soak the lines in black ink and let it dry before I can work with it. It does not produce a completely black color but a dark brown very much like tarred rope.
I use the knot no 48-49 in this link (http://www.twine-rope.dk/sider/viden/knob.html). When finished you can slide the knot up and down the rope and easily tighten in before securing it with a drop of CA.
/Lars Peter
 

 

[laps]

Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 9:35 pm•Post subject: Photoes
I visited the Frigate Jylland(Fregatten Jylland) yesterday. I took a bunch of pictures which I've uploaded to my web album:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pGrgk7NAqTv5Kh2Q9

I've also added all the pictures I've taken since I started at the model. You can find them here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vuNby3wEruHYAcNE7

/Lars Peter

[laps]

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 3:54 pm•Post subject:
I've finished the shrouds for the mizzen mast. As you can see, I've cheated a bit! I got wooden dead eyes from Model Expo a few days after I started fitting the plastic dead eyes provided with the kit to the chain plates. Then I had to made a decision: continue with the plastic dead eyes or use the wooden ones. I decided on the latter mainly because they were without the eyelet and looked better when tied to the shrouds. Yes, there is a differencein appearance close up but I guess only few will notice when they see the model from ½ a meter away. Still have to do a bit of tidying up with paint and ink.
One more thing to think about: how to attach the dead eyes for the top shrouds to the top. The rigging plan is without futtock shrouds. However as you can see from the picture of the real ships, futtock shrouds are indeed present. After a bit of thinking, I went for the solution presented in the last 3 pictures: I made the futtock plate of a piece of brass wire, soldered it before fitting it through the top (without burning the dead eye too much). After painting, I think I can bend a hook on the bottom side before a final touching up with paint. Then the futtock shroud can be attached and fitted to the mast.
This work should be done before the masts are fitted to the hull
. Well, the mizzen mast is already fitted to hull so this is going to be a fiddly job to make the hooks -but you learn as you go.
So the next couple of days I'll work on fitting dead eyes to the tops.
One question about rat lines. Should I start fitting those whenever I want or would it be wiser to do this at the final stages of the rigging? Just to have more room to move around between the shrouds. The shrouds are pretty secure and shouldn't go anywhere -at least that's the plan
/Lars Peter
 

 

[laps]

Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 2:49 pm•Post subject:
Thank you, for you advise John. I think I can wait doing the ratlines. Even with all the running rigging attached I think there should be enough room to work with a couple of tweezers for doing the ratlines.
Just a small update. I managed to attach the futtock straps to the top. Making the hooks on the lower side was NOT and easy task with the 1 mm brass wire but I managed to bend them around a 1 mm drill bit -at least it's going to be easier with the two remaining masts as they have not been attached to the hull.
Also, Jyllandnow has a full set of teeth. The dummy gun barrels for the lower gun deck have been glued on with epoxy and painted.
The last picture just show the overall picture of the ship at the current stage. Bowsprit, fore and main masts in various stages of assembly have just been put on the model for this picture.
I'll keep you updated when I get some more strings on the model.
/Lars Peter
 

 

[laps]

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 2:20 pm•Post subject:
I've finished the top shrouds on the mizzen mast and did the ratlines on one side.
I printed a piece of paper with lines 7 mm apart (following the plans). I used a very soft white thread for the rat lines. However, this thread is very soft so I have to secure each clove hitch with diluted PVA before I do the next one otherwise the knots come loose again (quite time consuming and a lot of waiting). I tried using thin CA on the first knot but soaks the thread about 1 cm on each side of the knot making it impossible to do the next knot. Moreover, the ink won't stick to the CA coated tread.
After finishing the knots I trimmed the lines and used black ink to achieve a black color.
The ink I have at the moment is not water resistant but I finally managed to find some black Indian ink at a store in Copenhagen. This is water resistant and should prove better for staining white thread.
I'm not completely satisfied with these rat lines but hopefully I found the best way to do them now so the remaining lines will look better. I LOOOOVE tying ratlines -but at least there are only about 1450 clove hitches left before all ratlines are tied.
/Lars Peter
 

 

[laps]

Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 1:09 pm•Post subject:
I finished the second half of the top ratlines for the mizzen mast. I think they came out slightly better than the first half. The work is slow as I have to wait for the PVA to dry on one knot before I can do the next knot, otherwise, the knots loosen up again.
As you can see from the first picture, the black ink I use doesn't seem to soak into the white thread I use for the ratlines.It looks OK right after I add the ink but when it is dry the white tread shines through the ink. I have some black Indian ink waiting at the post office and hopefully it will prove better. Another solution is to avoid that people get to close to the model
I also did the futtock shrouds on the mizzen mast which add a more natural appearance in contrast to the kit plans.
The main mast has now been glued to the hull and I can start on the shrouds for this mast and when I get tired of tying shrouds I can continue the standing rigging for the mizzen mast. The rigging of the three masts is quite similar so hopefully I get the hang of it and can speed up the process a bit.
/Lars Peter

 

 

[laps]

Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 12:02 pm•Post subject:
As promised, here is a couple of pictures showing the current status on the rigging of Jylland. I've finished all lower shrouds and will start on the remaining top shrouds as soon as I get some more rigging thread.
Also, I've completed the rat lines on one side of the mizzen mast. However, I may not do any more ratlines until I've done the running rigging.
/Lars Peter