HMS Victory by shihawk - FINISHED - Billing Boats - 1:75

[mathewp]

I love the wood finish , she will look a treat. 

[shihawk]

Tks mathewp , there is no set plan , im making it up as i go along ,so pull up a chair i need all the support i can get , but make sure its got a soft seat cause it,s going to be a long journey    

  Boyd

[clearway]

I find it can take upto 2-3 years to fully finish a ship of this size depending on how many hours a day you can put in. My billings cutty sark took about 3 years (with large gaps due to other models and family commitments) but i also altered and added a lot of alternate or scratchbuilt fittings.

Keith

[shihawk]

Just posted on a discussion on wheather to paint or not to paint a Victory  and made me think about some of the problems of not painting so i thought i would point out my latest. Plywood is ok for painting but when stained it can cause problems so many parts have to be replaced or venered , the keel was one of these areas . I wanted to do it the same wood as the wales but could only get 1.5 x7 mm in that wood  ,this meant i had to trim the plywood keel by 1mm either side to keep it a realistic thickness and then cover  sounds simple but getting around the curves proved a challenge  .my first attempt failed and i then went on the theory of some thing similiar to how i thought it may have been done in real life , i have no proof if this is any

where near correct but im happier with the result 

 

      

 

 

Dispite my best intentions work commitments has interfered greatly with my building time but only temporarily i hope so when i get the jigsaw finished i will show the outcome .Have Fun .

[clearway]

Hi Boyd- will certainly look ok when glued in and varnished- there are plenty of reference works on shipbuilding if you want to research further. Been having thoughts about the chainplates billings provided and am thinking of scratch building more accurate ones- are you game!?

Keith

Edited June 27, 2014 by clearway

[shihawk]

To be honest Keith im probably going to scratchbuild practicaly everything that i can ,too much plywood and i don,t like staining .I must admit i enjoy the scratching but it is very time consuming but i reckon my ultimate aim is scratch building so the sooner i start the better . I haven,t even looked at the chainplates yet but i,m game if you are , i still have cannon carriages to make etc before i fit the top deck so i,m still a long way of that stage yet .I will see how you get on and pick up a few tips so don,t patent anything  .Have Fun 

[Shipyard sid]

Hello Boyd

Well this is clever stuff, I wish I had your patience. I have never seen marquetry all in the same colour before. Keep enjoying it . Well done DAVID

[shihawk]

Pardon my lack of knowledge but what is marquetry??

[shihawk]

i understand now cheers David

[clearway]

still a long way from actually making the chainplates myself Boyd- sort of thinking five steps ahead. Will either use tinned copper wire or annealed iron wire (like what jewellry makers use).

Keith

[Shipyard sid]

Greeting Boyd

I need a bit of info. Do you get a flag set with your Victory.??? I am struggling to find one for my caldercraft Victory which as you know is1/72 scale. Your Victory is 1/75 scale and I think that might be the closest size I can use. Caldercraft do not supply a flag set with their Victory kit, if you do get a flag set with your ship. Could you tell me the email address you have used to contact them. Thanks a lot. DAVID

[shihawk]

David ,i bought my kit from CMB ,have looked there site but no sign of flags ,so you might need to try direct to billings  ,surely they could supply . if not let me know i haven,t decided if i will use my flags or not . I have never contacted billings .On the warranty there is a phone number for service in UK&IR  01903 765 496   and E-mail enquires@amerang-group.com ,my be some help ?? hope so    Boyd

[shihawk]

tks JOHN ,sorry i missed those David  .Here,s a pic of the flags included in my kit 

 

[HIPEXEC]

Your ports bring back memories of very hard work. Getting them square and in the right place (had to look way ahead at rigging interference.) Your new ports look great!

[shihawk]

Hi all , after a brief panic about springy planks i finally got them sorted hopefully and although i might have to replace a few planks i decided to go ahead and varnish in the hope that sealing will possibly help prevent any more . Plus im impatient to see how a coat of varnish will affect my color scheme . thankfully it seem alright to me you all can make up your own minds . Itook the pic under lights and dosent really show the correct color but close enough ,might try tomorrow in daylight  .It,s funny how the varnish hides some things and highlights others , brings out the individual planks but also highlights glue stains etc ,but will clean up further before second coat 

 

 

i only varnished to the third wale as still have minor repairs to do above

 

 

Not a springy plank in sight ,,,yet ??

 

 

Although it can,t really be seen here ther is now a yellowish tint to stripes between wales

 

 

 

the wales and the keel are made from the same wood although it dosn,t look it but there is a big variation in the color of the strips and some strips vary greatly even over there own length  ,Sorted a few but then decided the variations would add to the look ,could be proved wrong ??

 

 

 

Relieved to be close to finishing the main hull although still a fair way to go before installing the main deckand there,s still the windows to sort out ,but have a few idea brewing 

 

 

 

 

[shihawk]

Tks John , im a bit dissapointed that the wales didn,t turn out a bit darker but as i mentioned the variation in wood color even on individual planks left it difficult to know exactaly what i,d finish up with ,but overall im content ,i don,t think i,ll replace the one or two that stick out most .      Thanks for looking in and as i assume you like natural wood finishes i been searching for your build log without success , are you building at present and if so what ship ,it might make my search easier as i haven,t quite mastered the advanced search yet ? Cheers     Boyd

[shihawk]

Superb John  . From the pics i think we have similiar tastes in finishes, the only difference is you know what your doing what you want and how to achieve it im afraid im still stumbling around not realy knowing what direction to go . im not complaining cause i love the learning process as much as building and looking at your builds give me a place to aim for .Your build logs are a big loss and would have been very in formative but these things happen ! If you are looking in on my build now and again please feel free to offer any suggestions even criticism will be apreciated if it speeds up my learning process    . I keep finding better ways of doing things on this build when i have already finished the process but don,t like to keep changeing everything or i,ll never get finished ,been thinking of using as an experimental build with lots of different methods to doing things . i suppose it would be one way of keeping a record for future builds .

 Like the color of the wales on the R  William are they painted or maybe ebony ,cause im thinking of redoing one side of mine  .

Thanks for sharing the pics and any more will be welcome .Cheers Boyd.

[aliluke]

Hi Boyd

I'm not a regular visitor to HMS Victory build logs. I don't have many ideas about this ship or the kits that portray it. Wonderful thing about this site is that from your comments in another forum I took a look at your work.

 

It is brilliant work. Smooth, accurate and crisp. Although I can't add any advice on Victory I'll keep dropping by to see your progress.

[shihawk]

Your  more than welcome aliluke as you can see i need all the help i can get .

[gjdale]

Hi Boyd,

 

Just paying you a return visit, and glad I did. Looks like you've made a really nice job on the hull planking there. It's always more challenging when you choose a natural timber finish - no chance to hide mistakes under a coat of paint! Keep up the great work.

[clearway]

coming along nicely Boyd- if you like the look then you are doing it right! Will probably stick with the self adhesive paper for my windows.

Keith

[shihawk]

It will come as no suprise to anyone who has been looking in on my log that i have changed my mind again  .I had one side of the hull close to completion and when i started the other side . {i still don,t know my port from my starport } i thought i would try something different as the timbers between the wales were put on first and so didn,t run in line with them . I used maple the same as the decking and thought why not try caulking the same as the deck and was pleasantly suprised with the effect  .It may not be everyones taste but i think it gives a very solid look to the hull . my caulking leaves a lot to be desired but it,s the best i can do at present ,of -course once i was finished to-day i read Nigel,s article on using black tissue paper but will still give it a try when redoing the other side   . One thing i have learned is to be more carefull about  choosing timber , the variations in color when varnished caught me out ,even the maple has different grains and the two sides of the plank can look completely different  . I had thought originally that this might add to the look but now im not so sure . will be more carefull next time  I look forward to any comment s but i can assure you i will not be re planking again ,there are some parts of my hull now over 6mm thick and apart from that i must try to move on to the next stage or i,ll be at this build for ever  . Continuing good weather leaves little build time at present , i,m a ploughman by day and a trainee shipwright by nite  Here come the pic,s and don,t hold back on the opinions im a big boy i can take it Have Fun !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[clearway]

Boyd that looks fine me lad!

Keith

[torpedochief]

Not just the ship that is looking great, but I like the way you problem solve. Very well done! I will be following this one!

[shihawk]

Thanks for looking in ,kind coments and likes .I sometimes think i should have bought 2 kits ,one to experiment on and one for the final build cause i make so many changes but i,ll get there in the end . Have decided i need to order another batch of timber before going to much further ,to give me more to choose from for consistancy  . in future may look for a better supplier to try and avoid the big variations ,i suppose you get what you pay for ??,but at least my spares drawer is filling up  plus there are so many pieces of this kit i will replace cause they  are ply , i could nearly build another ship and paint it , Now there,s an idea .2 builds going side by side ,one natural wood finish and one painted  . then i would really get confused !!!

[shihawk]

Been lining gunports and decided i needed a change , so thought i would give the windows another try and this time i figured i,d give the quarter galleries a go . Previously i had thought that thread gave the best results  stuck on top of a thin layer of cellophane and then i saw some people on the site had great results with Microglaze . I ordered a bottle of Clear FIX which i assumed was the British version of the same product  Results were not good .to many bubbles and the thread didn,t look right either 

 

I returned to the sheet of acetate provided but no matter how i tried it was to thick and glassy looking so i finished up using if to cover the rather large hole on the base of my cheap saw 

 

 

Now what !!! I found a picture of the galleries on the real Victory and decided to use it as a plan to try and simulate it

 

 

 

The parts supplied with the kit are for painting and therefore of no use so i decided to attempt building the whole thing from scratch and after a lot of trial and error  not to mention swearing and floor searching i came up with something that is at least a basis to work from . I have already decided this will be the wall side so hopefully i can make a few more improvements as i progress 

 

 

 

 

 

When i trial  fitted the decoration provided for between the windows which i considered using as i have no way of making them i found that the spacing top and bottom was  very uneven so unless i can find a way around this i may just leave them of 

 

                                  

 

 

Just had a thought maybe i could cut them up and make them fit .

If i decide to continue with this method for the windows i will post a more detailed account of the process if anyone is interested. Have Fun !!!!

[gjdale]

Your windows look great. A pity about those decorations - I think some modifications might salvage them though.

[clearway]

looking good Boyd. I chickened out and stuck with the paper method!

Keith

[shihawk]

No pics ,progress has been slow as build time limited at present ,but while building to day i came up with a thought ,in an earlier post i jokingly mentioned that because i was scratching so many parts due to them being ply i could nearly build two ships because of all the spare parts and paint the second one .Well i was joking at the time but am now giving it serious consideration , for very little extra expense,some ply and cheap timber i thing i could teach myself to improve my painting skills and maybe even copper plating  .I think the only reason i,m writing it down is to try and decide if it,s a good idea or a  daft one ??? 

[clearway]

Nothing ventured nothing gained Boyd! Though if first time scrathbuild go merchant ship with two masts and not a ship of the line!

keith