HMS Victory by guraus - scale 1:48 - plank on frame

[guraus]

Are you sealing the wood with a finish as you go along?

 

Yes I do with tung oil. But only once all that had to be glued in place is already glued in its place - which makes the oil application quite cumbersome at times.

 

Alexandru

[guraus]

Hello all,

Another small update.

 

Alexandru

[guraus]

...

[Beef Wellington]

Wonderful workmanship Alexendru, simply no words to express it! Love this build. What are you using to colour the wood, or is it a natural wood that is that colour red?

[guraus]

What are you using to colour the wood, or is it a natural wood that is that colour red?

 

Thanks Jason,

 

That's the wood natural color - think is called bloodwood. Nothing so far is painted and I intend to keep it that way.

Alexandru

[md1400cs]

Alexandru,

 

YES as Jason just posted, there are simply no words the would fit in regards to your astonishing art. I so enjoy following your amazing build.

 

Regards,

 

Michael

[amateur]

That massive beam you milled, would that have been one piece in the original, or three parts bolted together?

 

Jan

[guraus]

That massive beam you milled, would that have been one piece in the original, or three parts bolted together?

 

Jan

Jan,

Unfortunately, my plans provide no details concerning that beam - called helm port transom. I made it one piece as I know the wing transom below is also a single piece. This "beam" is not actualy a beam in the above gun deck so would it be required to be of high strength?

I have some pictures from that part of the real Victory but everything is so thickly painted over you can't tell if is one piece or more.

What I found about it in Goodwin's "Construction and fitting of English man of wars" is, and I quote: " a single stout transom piece called a helm port transom"

 

Alexandru

[amateur]

Thanks!

Sounds reasonable. It was the size and even more, the model if the beam that made me wonder.

 

Jan

[norriro]

Hi,

Just to add a comment on the helm port transom. When I visited the Victory last year, the gunroom with all its fittings was one of the main reasons for the visit as I needed detail for my model. The area was actually screened off and I had to ask one of the guards to be able to enter and take a few photos. So for any potential visitors to the Victory don't take no for an answer regarding certain "restricted" areas, . Also make sure you visit on what they call "free flow" visit days, as you can take your time and you are allowed to photograph. This is all indicated on the official Victory website http://www.hms-victory.com/  As Alexandru says above one doesn't always get all the details from the various plans available. From what I can remember helm port transom is in one piece, and as the ship isn't at its maximum breadth the span is not that much. It does actually help to support the deck beam which is immediately above. They don't touch, but are separated by small chocks, I would say around 3-4 inches wide (full scale!). As the tiller passes below the aftermost deck beam to the middle deck, it can't be supported in the middle by a pillar, and the chocks are a way around that problem. I have a very good photo of the Victory, showing the two beams and a chock but can't remember how to add it to this post! 

Bob

 

In the meantime I found out how to add the photo!

Edited October 24, 2013 by norriro

[guraus]

Hi Bob,

Nice to hear from you.

In my post above I was refering to your pictures too. If you want to add a picture you just have to click on the "More Replay Options" button below right side the box where you enter your comments.

 

Alexandru

[norriro]

Thanks Alexandru, I've now added the photo. Keep up the great work, your Victory just keeps getting better. I wish I could achieve the same precision as you do! To come back to the above photo and its details, which you must be well into reproducing, it looks like there is a thinner beam between the transom and the above deck beam. I am not showing this and it makes me think this is another case of restoration "adjustments" on the lines we have discussed before. Either the deck beam is thinner than the others for the deck (possible because there are no guns bouncing about above it at that point) with a filling piece as shown in the photo, or it should be thicker and in one piece. I don't see the logic of the first option, and McKay shows only one beam and no filling piece.

Bob

[giampieroricci]

This is the eighth wonder of the world......!

Simply fantastic!!

[guraus]

...

[guraus]

...

[gjdale]

Now you're just messing with my head Alexandru!

 

Superbly done and wonderfully illustrated.

[guraus]

Did some more work on the main gun deck details: shot racks, couple of small hatches and I nailed the coamings for the big deck openings.

First set of shot racks were done with a different bit which burned the wood - thus the black colour. Luckily I found a different one which didn't and I used that one. The distance between "holes" is 5mm and this gave me about same number as in the plans.

 

Alexandru

[Jim Lad]

It just keeps on coming, Alexandru.  More beautiful work for us to drool over.

 

John

[guraus]

Hello,

 

I started working on the rudder and I progress quite fine until I get to drilling holes in the pintle straps. The brass I have is so hard that I already broken the 1mm mill bit into it (only one I had) and on the drill press the 1mm bit seems it just won't cut into it. I don't really know what to next with them. Only thing I can think of is to heat them red and try to drill after. So any idea will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you,

 

Alexandru

 

 

[guraus]

...

[md1400cs]

Simply astonishing work. !!!!

 

Michael

[norriro]

Hi Alexandru, if you still have the bit of broken 1 mm drill you could try to grind an sharp edge on the bottom and use that until you can get something better. I was able to get hold of some small end mills recently, but nothing smaller than 1.5 mm, although I did find some 1 mm cutters for wood. Also small sets of diamond tip tools can be very useful for this kind of work and are actually quite cheap - I have a set which cost just £5 (UK)! Bob 

[norriro]

I just checked out the site for the diamond tip tools just in case anyone is interested: http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Diamond-Tools/Diamond-Discs-Burrs-Saw-Blades

[mtaylor]

Annealing would probably a good thing to do even with a new bit.  I believe there's less heat build up drilling annealed brass than with un-annealed brass.

[Jim Lad]

Alexandru,

 

Your rudder and pintles look first class.

 

Annealing the pintles will certainly help - you may need to do this several times as brass is hardened by working it.

 

John

[michael mott]

Hello Alex, Brass can be either free machining or not and sometimes the yellow brass is rather gummy or sticky. the best is to use a scraping type tip that is very sharp, the breakage of the drill bits usually happens as the bit cut through and the brass grabs it and snaps the bit. Ask me how I know.

 

If you can sharpen the bit in the normal way then using a small slip Arkansas stone and "Lapp" a small flat on the leading edge, like the one on the right. The flat prevents the bit from grabbing, it is also important to use some supporting material underneath the brass that you are drilling either some more brass or a very hard wood, this also helps to prevent the bit from breaking through too fast (the other cause of grabbing)

 

It only takes a couple of minutes to modify the bit after you sharpen it.

 

 

The Arkansas stone is in the white  stone next to the other type of drills that watchmakers use.

 

 

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

Michael

[WackoWolf]

The rudder look excellent, very nice work. The answers you have gotten about the drilling are worth there weight in gold. Another site for drills is "drillcity.com" I have gotten a lot of my drill bits from there you can buy new or resharpen ones in sets or just the size you need.

[KARAVOKIRIS]

For hard brass I have successfully used brass drills from the following link :

http://www.fine-tools.com/messingbohrer.html

 

Kostas

[bizibilder]

If you want free cutting brass then the grade to use is CZ121 (in the UK). This is supplied as flat bar, round bar and hexagon bar.  If you want sheet (up to about 6mm maximum thickness) then the grade required is CZ120 called "leaded engraving brass".

These can be obtained from horological supply houses or engraving suppliers.

When machining these brasses you should use a flat topped lathe tool and no lubrication.  The shavings will come off as a stream of fine particles.  For drilling, as mentioned above, you should remove the sharp cutting edge from the tip of the drill so that it scrapes the brass as it cuts.

Edited November 17, 2013 by bizibilder

[norriro]

This a another source for small drills from 0.3 mm up with the advantage that they also have 1/2 sizes http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/Engineering_Menu_Metric_Sizes_171.html. The quality may not be as high as the other source mentioned above, but they are a lot cheaper. It would appear from all the advice above that a an end mill type cutter would be best. Has any anyone found a 1 mm cutter, which I think is the size Alexandru is using? The smallest I've found is 1.5 mm also available from Chronos.