HMS Bellerophon 1786 by AON – scale 1:64 – 74-gun 3rd Rate Man of War - Arrogant-Class

[AON]

Came off easier then putting it on... crying just stopped moments ago 😢 

It doesn't have to be perfect.. just a bit closer to correct and then I'll be happy.

[Treebeard]

16 hours ago, AON said:

Nothing done on my build the last couple weeks.

Recovery from another needle in my eye, 47th wedding anniversary, 69th birthday.

 

 

The next time will be better.

 

I wanted to say Happy Anniversay and Happy Birthday.  I enjoy your work immensly.   Wait till you see the log I will be starting soon..  Heh it will be a good chuckle for all.  Thanks for all you do and this blog.

Guy

[AON]

Started over on Tuesday by making two new side counter timbers and installing them.  These are shaped properly in the upper third of their length, straight, flaring inwards, not outwards.  I went downstairs early Wednesday morning with my reading glasses and noticed the small marking I had on the supports marked "o/s" indicating the line was to the outside top edge of the timber.

When I installed it I wasn't wearing my reading glasses and didn't see the small "o/s".

Yup...... I installed it inboard of the line.

"Ping" followed by another "Ping" was the sound made as these were removed and moved over to the proper side of the line.

Why is there always time to do it twice.  Hold on.  This is technically three times.

I won't be posting more photos until I get further along with this.

 

 

 

[druxey]

Belated happy anniversary and birthday, Alan! 

 

A for (repeated) effort! Hopefully all goes well this time around.

[AON]

Completed installing the last of the side quarter filler frames.

I will start sanding them to proper thickness (port/starboard) and height next week.

Then I cutout the door openings in the frame and install the cills.

And then finally the stern frames to close her up.

[druxey]

Good going, Alan. Happy holidays!

[Seventynet]

Great progress and looking good!
Ian

[SJSoane]

Hi Alan,

Looking great. That last little bit of hull at the stern is a more complex form that one would ever appreciate from drawings alone. it manages to go from curved in two directions to a straight edge at the counter timber in an almost imperceptible transition. I had to make oversize and shave down when I could see the overall form of the hull.

Mark

[yancovitch]

.....in my wildest dreams, i could not imagine me doing something like that....in awe...........

[druxey]

I couldn't either, yancovitch, until I had to do it! With time, patience and several attempts, it was possible....

[AON]

Good evening Yancovitch,

Every time I leave my shop I surprise myself with what I have done. No one knows how impossible I feel every new task will be for me. There are a lot of "do overs" and I have become very comfortable tearing pieces off. But I continue to crawl forward, never give up, always face the new challenge. I know I will fail at some the first or second time, but I get better and learn with each attempt.

 

I am still a novice.

 

Mark

That is exactly my approach, extra wide!

 

Good night all.

[Wintergreen]

Just read the last part of your log Alan and to rephrase what Max von Sydow and later Russel Crowe says in Robin Hood - Try, and try again until novice becomes a master 😉 

(Rise, and rise again, until lambs become lions).

 

Good job and as druxey said A for effort and perseverance. 

Happy new year!

Edited January 2, 2023 by Wintergreen

[TBlack]

On 12/28/2022 at 9:59 PM, AON said:

 

Every time I leave my shop I surprise myself with what I have done. No one knows how impossible I feel every new task will be for me. There are a lot of "do overs" and I have become very comfortable tearing pieces off. But I continue to crawl forward, never give up, always face the new challenge. I know I will fail at some the first or second time, but I get better and learn with each attempt.

 

I am still a novice!

 

Good night all.

Isn't this how most of us feel? This quote should be enshrined somewhere. The Gospel according to St. Alan!

[mtaylor]

10 minutes ago, TBlack said:

Isn't this how most of us feel? This quote should be enshrined somewhere. The Gospel according to St. Alan!

That quote and the one about "treating each part as a model and by the end of the day,  you'll have build more models than most will in a lifetime".

[AON]

Christmas and New Years Day celebrations are over.

Tomorrow afternoon I will be sanding my counter and filler timbers... then come the door cutouts and cills.

 

Meanwhile, over the last few days I was inspired to look at the small boats.

Per The Boats of Men of War by W.E.May the 74's of my time period were issued the following six small boats:

1 each x 31 ft Launch

1 each x 32 ft Pinnace

1 each x 28 ft Pinnace

2 each x 25 ft Cutter

1 each x 18 ft Cutter

After seeing a couple people present how they built their small boats and studying David Antscherl's published article in the NRJ Vol 55-1: An 18 ft Clinker Built  Cutter Model, where he builds it over a plug.  Then having followed Druxey's 28 ft US Cutter build on MSW... I decided to draw up the small boats for my ship.

Here they are below, ready to start anytime I wish, at 1:64 scale.

 

AON - 18 ft cutter lines -31DEC2022.pdf AON - 25 ft cutter lines - 3JAN2023.pdf AON - 28 ft pinnace lines - 2JAN2023.pdf AON - 31 ft launch lines - 4JAN2023.pdf AON - 32 ft pinnace lines - 4JAN2023.pdf

Edited January 4, 2023 by AON

[AON]

Rebuilt the side quarter and faired (sanded). Looking considerably better this time.

I installed a temporary brace across the top of the counter timbers to try to steady things a bit while I work in that area.

Marked of the top timbers and quarter doorways.  These will be cut down/out this weekend, then I'll get the cills installed.

I am hoping to do a better job on them also!

[garyshipwright]

Alan it's looking outstanding and will even look better when you get the door way's cut out. I take it you will be installing the stern timber's next? Look forward to the next update. Gary

[AON]

I wasn't planning on that next but it would definitely brace things before cutting out the doorways.

Hmmmm.

Change in plans????

[druxey]

Some temporary (or even permanent) deck clamps and transoms would be good things to install first.

[Wintergreen]

I have no advice to give, but I think it looks very good. Well done!

Keep it up!

[garyshipwright]

3 hours ago, druxey said:

Some temporary (or even permanent) deck clamps and transoms would be good things to install first.

Well Druxey  I have to agree with you. Would strengthen the hull that's for sure. Gary

[AON]

Looking at the size of the roundhouse and quarterdeck clamps now.

 

[Worldway]

Hi Alan,

 

I'm not sure if the following will shed any light on your problem but I found this in my book The Anatomy Of Nelson's Ships.  I may be completely off base.  If so, please disregard.

 

[AON]

I deleted my earlier post as I made an error having read all the clamp descriptions at once I got confused and melded them.

Need to step back for a moment.

[No Idea]

Alan that is an amazing hull you have built there!  Wow it looks complicated but really nicely faired by you.

[AON]

I'm starting with the roundhouse clamps at 11" thick and 13" broad (height). Clamps were normally 25 to 30 feet long but I read the roundhouse clamps were normally made in one piece. Mine are about 49 feet long.  That would be a beast to lift in place at practically 1 ton of weight.

 

I made a quick mock up out of scrap poplar, marked off the heights for the clamps and laid the mock up in to check it out.

It ran below the top of the door opening.  Double checked my pencilled in door locations which were spot on.

 

I found that the original framing plan had the round house deck beams drawn in at double thickness.

After adjusting things the mock up just cleared.

 

I then made up the two clamps in Castello boxwood, a paper template of the wall curvature, and then a form to clamp my steamed clamps to.

When dried I had 1/8" spring back. Adjusted the form and things are re-steamed, clamped and setting now.

Edited January 25, 2023 by AON

[SJSoane]

Hi Alan,

 

Looking great!

Something that helped me put in the deck clamps was a small jig that could reference against the gunport cills, and then draw a mark at the correct distance down for the clamp location. Assuming the gunports are well faired, the deck at the sides will always be parallel to the ports. At least it was in the Bellona.

Mark

[AON]

The Roundhouse Clamps have been made, steamed and bent to fit. The starboard side has been glued and clamped in place.

In the photo below you can see my form used to shape the clamps to.  The port side clamp is on the table next to it.

I've started the Quarter Deck and Forecastle Clamps at 4" x 12".  4 inches thick seems awfully thin compared to the Roundhouse clamps at 11" x 13" but that is what they are.

 

***EDIT: I made a major boo boo.  The size of the Roundhouse clamps didn't make sense compared to the Quarter Deck clamps.  I then looked at the Gun Deck and Orlop deck.  I checked the image in the Bellona book. I went back to the original contract document.  The 11 is actually a 4.  The way it is written it looks like an 11 to me.  Now I have to try to get the one off and do it all over. My sailor words are creeping up through my throat from my gut.

 

Also, I received my resin printed carronades just over a week ago and they look fantastic!

8 each x 18 Pdrs and 2 each x 32 Pdrs.

The larger is about 1" long and the smaller about 13/16" long

I have no idea why I waited a week to post this other then they are very delicate (screw nut handles) and I don't want to handle them more than necessary.  I'll get them painted and stored away in the next few days.

Edited January 26, 2023 by AON

[Wintergreen]

I can see why you like your armament. 25 mm and a little less they have a fantastic detailing at that scale.

Cheers!

[AON]

All fixed.

Decided not to take the over thickness starboard clamp off as the alcohol to do this would de-glue the frame and chock connections behind it.

I sanded the port roundhouse clamp to the proper thickness and used it to mark off the proper thickness of the starboard clamp that was glued in place.  I then sanded it down to below the line, this taking into account the thickness of the pencil line outside the thickness of the clamp used as a template.

At this time both are attached.

Today I made stock for the quarter deck and forecastle clamps and they will be installed next.