HMS Guadeloupe by jack.aubrey - 1:48 scale - ex French Le Nisus - Brick de 24

[jack.aubrey]

A few years ago I purchased from A.N.C.R.E. the research monograph written by Jean Boudriot and Hubert Berti about the "Brick de 24" Le Cygne. The underlying idea was to start an experience in admiralty style (or POF), starting with a simpler sailing ship such as a "brick" (French) or "brig" (English).

 

The brig is a sailing vessel with two masts, foremast and mainmast, with a single gun deck and generally armed with 18-20 guns or carronades. Initially, there were traditional guns of 6-8 pdrs, then the armament evolved using 24 pdrs carronades while maintaining a couple of long guns for shooting during hunting.

 

During the period of the wars between England and France, the Revolutionary Wars first and then the Napoleonic Wars, a large number of these sailing ships were built on projects belonging to three/four french engineers (Pestel, Sanè, Forfait, etc.) and builts in several replicas in various French, Dutch and Italian shipyards.

 

The monograph about Le Cygne proposes a model of brick designed by the french engineer Francois Pestel and was reproduced twenty times plus two additional ships faithfully reproduced by Sanè, for a total of twenty-two historically established ships.

 

Upon receipt of the monograph I noticed, however, that the plans were not useful to build a "Plank On Frame" model as the drawings in the monograph didn't show the frame layouts, so my attention veered out of other ideas.

 

Recently I finished the building of the Soleil Royal and I found myself to decide on which to build a new model. After some researches I took back the monograph of Le Cygne and I carefully re-read it. Immediately, I was very intrigued by the fact that almost all of these brick had a very short lifetime in the French Navy and the monograph itself was unclear, in a table list, specifying only the year of "radiation".

At the beginning I thought about some structural defects that made them short-living, although the same was also true for other bricks designed by French engineers. Then, going deeper, I discovered the truth, hidden in the monograph of Boudriot / Berti probably from the usual and by now well-known "french chauvinism".

 

In short: of the 22 "Brick de 24" designed by Pestel, 18 were captured by the Royal Navy, 2 were transferred to the Italian navy and 2 have gone missing, coincidentally the year that were struck off in the table is the same the ship was commissioned in the Royal Navy, participating with great success in the war against Napoleon. So, ironically, the French Navy seems to have been the major supplier of brigs for the Royal Navy !!!

 

Hence the idea to complete the historical research in relation to the British viewpoint in order to have a complete picture of the operational life of these ships. Consequently, I have identified a number of these brick in service in the Royal Navy, sometimes with similar names and sometimes totally different, and I decided to build one, although at the moment I do not know exactly which.

 

According to the monograph, the only distinguishing features were the figurehead and bottles aft .. and, obviously, the armament.

 

The story continues in the next message which will follow shortly. . Yours sincerely, Jack.Aubrey.

[jack.aubrey]

This model will not be built as a Plank On Frame model for many, different and personal reasons: 

 

• the ANCRE monograph and the related drawings contained in it does not show the outline of the framework as, for example, the case of other similar books from the same publisher;
  

• for the reason previously listed the well-known ship modeler Bernard Frolich, the author of "The art of shipmodeling", built this ship in the more traditional system known as Plank On Bulkheads, so if he made this choice with all the support that surely should have found in France from his followers, why should I do it myself ? 
  

• even the British plans of these bricks, made ​​after their capture and preserved at the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich (NMM), do not allow to reconstruct the frame structure;
  

• I just decided to build the model in the configuration when he was serving in the Royal Navy, that is, with english ordnance, english masting and rigging and who knows what else (maybe not visible) in order not to confront with the equivalent models based on ANCRE plans only;
  

• I would like to deceive myself to make a model almost "unique," or at least I hope so;
  

• I have a strong inclination towards the dislike for modeling in POF, after some past critical experiences on italian forums with some kind of italian POF modelers and the present is not likely to change my mind. 
  

 

So do expect to see a ship hull made up of all those little pieces of pearwood; this model will be a peaceful sailship with keel and bulwarks in poplar plywood, double planking and so on. As far as I know now I will complete everything, hull, masts, rigging and sails though, knowing myself, I will have to spend a lot of time to see this model finished and during this time lapse it's possible i'll change my mind in the future . . . 

 

Regards, Jack.

Edited August 27, 2014 by jack.aubrey

[ChrisLBren]

Im looking forward to following this build Jack.  I love Frolich's model in Art of Ship Modeling - I've often considered this one myself.  

 

Some of the Ancre monographs do not provide drafted frames, Le Cygne, Venus, La Belle Poule and La Jacinthe all come to mind - nothing wrong with building them plank on bulkhead.  

 

I agree with Frolich that a fully planked model like this one will look really good masted, rigged and fitted with sails. Im considering La Jacinthe as my next project with a similar approach built POB.

 

Take care,

Chris

[Omega1234]

Hi Jack.  Sounds interesting and look forward to following your progress.

[jack.aubrey]

The following are the current results of my research about the "Brick de 24" built from a design by Francois Pestel.

 

The table shown in the first two pages here below was compiled, using as a starting point, a similar table contained in the ANCRE monograph, where all the French built bricks from 1755 until 1850 are listed.
 
From this list I have selected the twenty sailing ships designed by Pestel in the years 1800-1808. This information is reproduced "as is" in the first five columns of the table.
 
The remaining columns are the result of my personal research born from my curiosity to know the reason for such a relatively short operating lifetime in the "Boney" French Navy. I researched informations in various sources but the most useful in this case was the Rif Winfield's book titled "British Warships in the age of sail 1793 - 1817 - Design, Construction, Careers and Fates".
 
With this informations I could complete the remaining columns in the previous cited table, and, particularly, the individual history of nine of these bricks under the Royal Navy flags. The research does not be considered  100% over, even if now it is at a good point of completeness. Then, unless of upheaval at the moment can not be foreseen, the model that I am going to build will bring one of these nine names.
 

Images 03 and 04 and the other images I'll add in the next post are the individual histories about the nine english prey "brigs", ships who have had a significant lifetime.
 
Good reading. . . the remaining four pages in the next message. Jack.

I'm obviously joking, the language used is Italian so I can imagine some problems for most of you. I commit to setup a good translation in the future . .

 
01 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/BricksdeGuerreFrancais-1_zps654aa1e3.jpg

02 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/BricksdeGuerreFrancais-2_zps1dbbc871.jpg

03 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/BricksdeGuerreFrancais-3_zpsea495187.jpg

04 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/BricksdeGuerreFrancais-4_zps3d9b6737.jpg

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

In this new message I've included the second and final part of my research. See you next time, Jack.

 

 

05 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/BricksdeGuerreFrancais-5_zpscde915fa.jpg

06 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/BricksdeGuerreFrancais-6_zps716affd3.jpg

07 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/BricksdeGuerreFrancais-7_zpsbe35c4bd.jpg

08 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/BricksdeGuerreFrancais-8_zps4491b193.jpg

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[MEDDO]

Interesting project. I have a fondness for the smaller non-rated vessels and will enjoy watching you progress.

[jack.aubrey]

. .  Im considering La Jacinthe as my next project with a similar approach built POB . . Chris

 

Hi Chris, I also have the monograph about la Jacinthe: it's a lovely, fast and fine cutter, very close to the wonderful Baltimore Clippers. The plans are without the frames layout although Frolich made it in POF. Rgds, Jack.

[jack.aubrey]

Having reached the decision to build this sailship, I started to watch the plans available in the ANCRE monograph and also those available at the National Maritime Museum in London.

 

I had not to think a lot about which plan refer to regarding the ship hull: in this case I think that the ANCRE plans are much better and are also immediately available to me, while those of the NMM must before be bought, which probably will do at a later time. For now I have only watched the images on the NMM website, downloaded and enlarged them up to capacity right to compare certain points that I wanted to verify. 

 

So, I said then that I would have used the ANCRE plans, but for what I have in mind, it becomes necessary a design approach that I can only adopt using only these plans. So I selected the plans n° 1 of the 19 plans available with the monograph and I went at a copy center to make me scan the table and get a file in .TIF format, file format useful to be imported into AutoCAD. 

 

The table I converted into a picture file is the following:

 

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/nave_zps4d5c5a31.jpg

 

Since I was there, knowing that sooner or later will become useful, I have also scanned the table that contains all the ship boats, I would always design up in AutoCAD. I offer you here below:

 

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/barca_zps285f10a5.jpg

 

Then, back to home, I sit to the computer to process the first table presented here. 

I use AutoCAD version 2005. This version maybe a little outdated but on my computer still works pretty well and then I do not feel the need to have more features. Among other things, my experience of using this program is somewhat limited, although with the usage and experience tends to grow, but it is still good enough to do what I need.

 

The basic concept for the use of AutoCAD with ANCRE Table 1 is to import the TIF file obtained from scanning as "raster image" (feature available in the program) in the base "layer" and then copy the design with the functions and commands available on a second "layer". At the end of this copy operation the new "layer" will contain the table prepared and usable for many other situations.

Of course, before beginning this "upsetting" some controls were needed to avoid blunders in the following steps: 
- print in 1:1 scale the imported image to check with the original table sheet that the measures coincide and that there are no distortions; 
- check that the imported image is perfectly horizontal, something that almost never happens because the passage through the scanner is never perfect so that usually the horizontal plane is tilted a few degrees; to align the imported image is pretty simple (although I needed many attempts to be successful..) with AutoCAD and then I proceeded to fix this defect; 
- at this point, ready to start . . and after a few days of patience and work here comes the first basic design from which all the others will be derived.

 

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/V012Brick24ImageBodyPlanBase_zpsfe6aa0c2.jpg

 

For now I would say that is enough. . 

Regards, Jack.Aubrey

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

The last drawing reproduced in the previous message, with the three views of the hull, becomes the starting point for further processing of the project. 

 

In this case with a simple AutoCAD copy & paste command I have set up two new tables, that are proposed here below, and where all the bulkheads that make up the hull are drawn. 

 

The first drawing shows the bulkheads from amidships (bulkhead #M2) to the bow (bulkhead #VIIIa); for a total of nine bulkheads:

 

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/V001BodyPlanFromM2toVIII_zpsf000dd51.jpg

 

The second drawing, instead, shows the bulkheads aft from amidships (#M1) to stern (#XIII); 14 bulkheads in total:

 

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/V001BodyPlanFromM1toXIII_zps6a56b536.jpg

 

Now the various hull elements are printable on a single sheet of A4 paper and, when glued onto a plywood tablet of 5mm thick, will be ready for cutting with the saw. Now only the plywood is missing to start. But there's no hurry . . 

 

Note that the bulkheads #M1 and #M2, although there are two, are perfectly equal. 

See you soon, Jack.Aubrey.

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[Mahuna]

Hi Jack

 

Great start!  I'll be following your build and I'm sure will learn a lot and will enjoy watching.

 

Frank

[michael mott]

Nice drawings Jack.

 

Michael

[jack.aubrey]

Frank, Michael, thanks for your comments . . 

 

Although I worked for more than 30 years in the Information Technology area this is my second experience with a program such as AutoCAD.

 

At the beginning it was an hard life but with the help of a friend I started to better know the program and how to use it to get or improve ship plans. Surely this method provides a wonderful tool to design the ship hull and its basic elements starting from the classic ship three views drawings. I hope its utility will be confirmed in the continuation of this project. 

 

Cheers, Jack.

[jack.aubrey]

In some previous message I wrote about the availability at the Maritime Museum in London (NMM) of some plans of a couple of French brigs captured by the Royal Navy.

 

More in detail, there are three drawings related to "Curieux" that I show here below

 

Object ID:     ZAZ4248
Description: Scale 1:48. Plan showing the upper deck and lower deck with platforms for Curieux (captured 1804), a captured French Brig as taken off and fitted as an 18-gun Brig Sloop. The ship was at Plymouth to have defects made good between 17 July and 17 October 1805. Signed by Joseph Tucker [Master Shipwright, Plymouth Dockyard, 1802-1813].
Date made: September 1805

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/j4295_zps2ecec852.jpg

Object ID:     ZAZ4247
Description: Scale 1:48. Plan showing the body plan with stern board decoration and name across the counter, the sheer lines with inboard detail and quarter gallery [figurehead missing], and longitudinal half-breadth for Curieux (captured 1804), a captured French Brig as taken off and fitted as an 18-gun Brig Sloop. The ship was at Plymouth to have defects made good between 17 July and 17 October 1805. Signed by Joseph Tucker [Master Shipwright, Plymouth Dockyard, 1802-1813]. The top right corner is missing, including the area around the figurehead.

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/J4296_zps1d5a57f0.jpg

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/LeCurieux_zpsad3df84b.jpg

Plus two plans regarding the brig "Le Milan" that under the RN became HMS Achates.

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/LeMilan-ZAZ4499-01_zpsedb9402f.jpg

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/LeMilan-ZAZ4500-01_zps3ec4d208.jpg

As you can see there are no significant differences (something aft) and one can understand how, having already the ANCRE plans, there is no need to complicate my life buying these designs . . at least for the moment. It's a pity that in these plans the bow of Curieux is ruined and it's impossible to see the figurehead . . while for the Achates seems to have reproduced the same figurehead of Le Cygne. I think more to a copy action than to a real possibility that the two figureheads were actually equal . .

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

And now let's work to design the keel. . 

 

To do this I obviously started from the basic design obtained in the first steps of this topic, by tracing out the table scanned; I focused my work on the sheer view with the aim to obtain the profile of the keel in order to then proceed to the detail drawings of the pieces to cut. 

 

First I placed on the new design the correct position of the mortise for the bulkheads, the mortise is 5mm, right to receive the bulkhead that has a thickness of 5 mm. The line that runs through the center hull design indicates the point where the mortises for the bulkheads will be terminated. 

 

The upper part of the keel will follow the side profile of the upper deck, which has a slight sheer. .

 

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/V014Brick24ImageBodyPlanBase_zpsdea2c68d.jpg

 

A further step to remove parts of the design not really necessary and begin to glimpse the outline of the keel. .

 

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/V013Brick24ImageBodyPlanBase_zps87a09dad.jpg

 

Finally, the final design of the keel with the slots for the two masts and the voluntary choice not to use the bulkheads #Va too close to the foremast and #IV practically overlapping the mainmast. I also sketched out a couple of joints to trim the keel into three pieces in order to print on A4 paper sheets.

 

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/V014Brick24Keel_zps28a854bf.jpg

 

To be continued . . Regards, Jack.

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

The last process on the third design of the previous message: the printout in 1:1 scale of the three segments that make up the keel. As for the bulkheads these three designs are ready to be glued on plywood boards, this time with a thickness of 4mm. to be cut with the jigsaw.

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/V014Brick24KeelModel3_zpsc303c8cd.jpg

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/V014Brick24KeelModel2_zps74b5c2ba.jpg

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/V014Brick24KeelModel1_zps5cd4a3ee.jpg

In theory, with this initial design work I'm at the point where I can begin to cut out the various elements of the hull (keel and bulkheads). I do not consider the case to investigate further details before seeing the whole dry-mounted together and after having setup up a proper building basement.

So now I have to get some wood that I briefly summarize here: 
- 25 tablets of poplar plywood 150 x 190 x 5 mm for the bulkheads; 
- 3 or 4 tablets of plywood of a harder wood than poplar (birch?) 250 x 150 x 4 mm for the keel; 
- 2 strips of 10 x 15 mm of the appropriate length for the two central reinforcements of the hull. 
Regarding the building base I'll use the material prepared at the time of the 12 Apostles, appropriately modified.

Considering that the card is subject to change depending on humidity and temperature, it is my intention to print all the material so far prepared at the same time and using the same stack of paper. I hope so to print all the drawings in the same environmental conditions and to avoid small differences in measurement. If I could laser print directly on the plywood would be the ideal thing but. . I do not think it's possible without the proper equipments.

Finally, I'm asking and I hope to get some advice about: which kind of paper glue is better to use in sticking the paper to the plywood? Might be a better material for the keel the MDF?

That's all for today. Cordial greetings, Jack.Aubrey.

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[NMBROOK]

Hi Jack

If all your internal skeleton is hidden,I wouldn't rule out using MDF for everything.The only thing I would suggest is using 6mm MDF for the frames,4mm is far to pliable.Personally,if you stick with plywood,I would change to 6mm birch ply for the frames,it gives a much better bearing surface for the planks.I know the recent builds you have posted have had 4mm bulkheads supplied by the kit manufacturer,but they are working to financial constraints,you can do as you please and make life a little easier into the bargain

The only thing I found when working with MDF is that don't use your normal files,it will take forever ,I use the rough permagrit ones,although very coarse they work the MDF easily as it is nothing like normal timber.

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

[jack.aubrey]

Hi Nigel,

regarding MDF i got this information somewhere in the internet
 

MDF is made from sawdust and a resin that is moulded under preasure to get sheet or shaped items like a picture rail. The problem is the resin that can have carcogenic property's so the use of a mask when sanding MDF is a must, the reason a primer has been recomended is to seal any internal parts for painting such as within the cut aways

 

 

 

What do you think about it ?. Thanks in advance, Jack.

[NMBROOK]

Hi Jack

This is true and wearing an ordinary dust mask is advisable,however there are some hardwood dusts just as bad if not worse.I quite often do any large sanding jobs outside and find a mask unnecessary.Unless you inhale the dust,it isn't anymore dangerous than any of the other materials we work with,It is worth mentioning that we have no knowledge as to the resins used in plywood manufacture,it may well be that these are just as harmful.

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

[jack.aubrey]

Having at the moment nothing more to show because the next step is to procure the wood I need and start working to cut the hull pieces, inside this post I would like to show some images of paintings of the two previously mentioned brigs CURIEUX and LE MILAN. Good reading, Jack.

 

Figure 01 - Source National Maritime Museum
Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/Curieux-02_zpse18bd0a0.jpg

Title: "Cutting out the 'Curieux' at Martinique, 3 February 1804"

The French brig sloop ‘Curieux’ was fitted out at Martinique in order to attack British interests. As she was a threat to British West Indian commerce, the British Commodore Hood gave orders for her capture. Under the command of Lieutenant Robert Carthew Reynolds four boats with 60 seamen and 12 marines set out on a moonlit night from the British ship ‘Centaur’. This meant a 20-mile row to reach the ‘Curieux’ lying under the protection of the guns of Fort Edward. 
When Reynolds’s barge came in under the stern of the ‘Curieux’ he found that, providentially, a rope ladder hung down the side. He scaled it and cut a hole in the anti-boarding nets to enable his men to pour on board. Before she was taken the French lost nearly 40 killed and wounded. The British had nine wounded and Reynolds, who was one of them, subsequently died of his wounds. On the right side of the picture the ‘Curieux’ is shown just before her capture. Her anti-boarding netting is clearly visible. The sailors can be seen loosing her sails and cutting her cable, while the guns of Fort Edward are firing. A moon shines between her masts and in the left foreground another battery is in action. 
The painting is signed and dated ‘F. Sartoruis 1805’.

Figure 02 - Source National Maritime Museum
Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/Curieux-01_zps4eef5ad6.jpg

Title: "HMS Curieux captures the Dame Ernouf, 8 February 1805"

'HMS Curieux' captures the 'Dame Ernouf', 8 February 1805' by Francis Sartorius. Signed lower right.

Figure 03 - Source National Maritime Museum
Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/Curieux-03_zps26efe957.jpg

Title: View of St John's Harbour, Antigua; the fleet at anchor and the 'Curieux' brig making sail with dispatches for England [12 June 1805]

The last, but seventh in order of events, in series of ten drawings (PAF5871–PAF5874, PAF5876, PAF5880–PAF5881 and PAF5883–PAF5885) of mainly lesser-known incidents in Nelson's career, apparently intended for a set of engravings. Pocock's own description of this drawing in a letter of 9 July 1810 calls it 'a view of St Johns Harbour Antigua taken on the spot by myself with the Fleet at Anchor – the "Curieux" Brig (in the foreground) making sail with dispatches for England. Here though there is no fighting I thought the anxiety and promptitude of Lord Nelson wou'd be exemplified, and with a Correct View of Antigua wou'd give the Whole [set] a Variety.' Nelson's 'Victory' is in stern view to the right of 'Curieux', beyond the intervening rowing boat. Pocock's personal knowledge and drawing(s) of Antigua of course dated from his time as a Bristol sea captain, ending about 1778, not that of the incident shown. This was during the pre-Trafalgar chase to the West Indies, in early summer 1805, where Nelson failed to find Villeneuve's Franco-Spanish Fleet, which had already sailed again for Europe. On 12 June he sent home the 'Curieux' from Antigua with dispatches, to update the Admiralty, before his fleet pursued. By chance, 'Curieux' distantly sighted and overtook the enemy near the Azores, realized they were heading for Ferrol in north-western Spain, not Cadiz, and brought that vital news back to Lord Barham at the Admiralty, ahead of Nelson's return. For the rather complex circumstances of the commissioning of these ten drawings, and Pocock's related letters, see 'View of St Eustatius with the '"Boreas"' (PAF5871). Signed by the artist and dated in the lower left. Exhibited: NMM Pocock exhib. (1975), no. 52.

Figure 04 - Source National Maritime Museum
Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/LeMilan-01_zpsea137387.jpg

Title: La Corvette Le Milan (de St Malo) pour suivie par la Fregate Angloise, L' Endymion

There are no comments on this painting. It is a hand-colored lithograph by Lemercier Bernard, Perrot Ferdinand Victor and Victor Delarue. Dimensions: 285 mm x 396 mm

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[schnu]

good luck on your new project, looks challenging

[jack.aubrey]

Saturday, August 30, 2014

 

Yesterday afternoon I decided to start to cut out the keel and the bulkheads. For the bulkheads I went, during the morning, in a timber warehouse where I had cut about thirty tablets of poplar plywood (5mm thick and measuring 15 x 20cm). 

Considering the amount of cuts to perform I setup the power Proxxon jigsaw that I show here below

 

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/IMG_2280_zps740fa05b.jpg

 

Before working seriously I printed a couple of bulkheads and pasted them on a 5mm plywood that I already had in the workshop. Why this ? Just to avoid to waste the precious tablets bought in the morning. I had the need to become familiar with the power jigsaw which is a tool that, like as some wild horses, cannot be guided too easily and you need to know him better, otherwise it goes where he wants. . 

 

So I cut out a couple of bulkheads, with results not so much satisfactory. Then I repeated a few more tests to improve the result coming to the conclusion that I would have used the power tool for straight and slightly curved cuts but not when it was necessary to cut tight curves or corners. In this latter two cases I prefer to use the manual jigsaw. 

 

So I started to cut the three elements that make up the keel, work that I managed quite well and I used, during the refining phases, the bulkheads I cut previously just to evaluate all the joints: some were right since the beginning, others I had to adjust them with a flat file. So happily, I planned to close this first day on this new model at the pub with a nice beer . . when, at the last moment I said, "let's try one of the tablets 15 x 20".

And I've had a nice surprise: instead of being 5mm thick the tablets were 6mm !!!!! GOOD START. . HOPE A LUCKY PROJECT . .
 
Briefly all the joints on the keel would be widened, but being the keel made with a 7 layers birch plywood, rather hard, it is not so easy to remove 0.5mm on both sides of each joint, so I cursed the timber warehouse and I went to get my beer, as you can presumably imagine, a little nervous . . 

In the evening, however, I decided to redo from scratch the keel with the joints of the right width and, since I had already got to realize that all the frames included in the first project version are probably too many for a POB hull, I decided to reduce them in number, while maintaining the same number only fore and aft. 

 

This morning I already changed the AutoCAD design and when I'll resume the will to breathe sawdust I'll just make them again. For now, I propose the new version of the keel:

 

Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/V015Brick24Keel_zpsa04a44c3.jpg 

 

See you again soon, Jack.Aubrey.

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

Thursday, Sept. 4rd, 2014

 

Yesterday afternoon I resumed the work, after having prepared a new keel layout as explained in my previous message.

 

This time my confidence with the scroll saw was better and I obtained probably a much better result than during my first attempt.

 

The joints seem to be perfect and now I need to put together the three elements of the keel on a "very flat surface". I'll do that this afternoon.

 

As flat surface I use some plates of glass of 10mm thickness. they are what remains of a acquarium tank I build several years ago when I practiced that hobby. This glass plates are perfect for these usages.

 

I spent this morning looking for the spray adhesive such as 3M PhotoMount but without success. It seems the best way is to buy on the internet . . in the meantime I have used the alternative solution: the paper adhesive stick. It's probably more time consuming to use but anyway it works perfecly.

 

I remove the paper, when no more useful, by laying over the piece a wet cloth for some time and the paper comes away easily.

 

That's all for today. Cheers, Jack.

[jack.aubrey]

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Yesterday I assembled the three elements that make up the false keel. To do this I glued the three pieces by placing them over a glass plate I previously described and I let dry for a few hours under the weight of two other glass plates. Then I glued the plywood reinforcements to be applied on both sides of the joint, pressing them with clamps. Then I prepared the side structure for the hollows for the masts, so that they are already usable right now and perfectly aligned to the keel. 

 

The cut out for the foremast is vertical, while that for the mainmast is tilted slightly towards the stern. 

Once assembled these last two items, I begun to prepare the building slip assembly, which will accompany this model from now until I will start to apply the planks on the quickwork. Until then, its main purpose will be to hold the keel aligned during the installation of the bulkheads, the reinforcements for the hull structure, the upper deck and the external planking to the waterline: in short, probably for a few months. 

Two views of the keel. .

 

01 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/P1090952_zps5a275315.jpg

 

02 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/P1090953_zps0f4065c1.jpg

 

A few scattered pieces, more than anything else to become familiar with the scrollsaw. . not to be used on the model because the thickness is not right.

 

03 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/P1090951_zps6e0caaf0.jpg

 

And finally the building slip, finished and waiting for the glue to dry completely . . I've reused the base I built for the 12 Apostles, while I redid the vertical supports.

 

04 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/P1090954_zps427eab35.jpg

 

See you tomorrow, Jack.

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

continuation. . 

 

Here below the keel inserted into the assembly base, with two small rods inserted into the slots of the two masts, and two "exercise" bulkheads in place just to give the idea that there is something more . . .

 

01 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/P1090955_zps5410c7cc.jpg

 

02 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/P1090956_zps713f170c.jpg

 

03 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/P1090957_zpse540cc02.jpg

 

04 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/P1090958_zpse1ace459.jpg

 

05 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/P1090959_zpsa0dbedf5.jpg

 

Tomorrow I'll go for three/four days in Pisa with my daughter, so do not expect news shortly. 

Sincerely, Jack.

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

 

After a few days of inactivity due to a dental intervention that I cannot define as "simple routine", today I felt able to resume works without taking risks and so I started to cut out the bulkheads of the brig.

Usual method: printing of the bulkheads using my computer with AutoCAD, gluing the paper over the plywood and cutout of the piece with the scrollsaw . . except ending the day using the coping saw which I found to need less time overall.

Let me better explain: using the scroll saw, which as I already had occasion to write is not a simple tame horse, I'm forced to go rather slowly in order to avoid to do damages, and, always for the same reason, I cut a little generous. As a result I have a lot of work with a file and sanding blocks, making a lot of fine powder very annoying. However at the end the bulkhead is near perfect.

But then I realized that, having to work on rather soft poplar plywood, if I use the coping saw, it takes me more or less the same time to cut but the result is 99.5% accurate, and consequently the finishing stage is minimal and I save a lot of time. Moral: I save time with the same result.

Now, I do not mean that manually is better than with the powertool, but in this case, thanks to favorable circumstances, it proved to me the best method. So I guess for the remaining bulkheads to proceed manually. 

Finally here below shown the frames ready, the first six from the bow. They are dry mounted on the keel to make sure everything is well in place. 

 

01 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/CAM00322_zpsded718c4.jpg

 

02 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/CAM00323_zps321a2cd8.jpg

 

03 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/CAM00324_zps6edb10ed.jpg

 

Even the longitudinal reinforcement seem to fit perfectly. . I think I'm on the right way.

 

04 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/CAM00326_zpse004032f.jpg

A touch of color and personalization. .

 

05 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/CAM00325_zps6918e259.jpg

 

To the next message . . Jack.

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[harvey1847]

Hello Jack!

 

beautiful work and beautyful posts! thanks for that. I´ll be here watching and learning...

 

Best wishes!

 

 

daniel.

[Mahuna]

Hi Jack

 

Very nice work - very neat.

 

Frank

[harvey1847]

 

if I use the coping saw, it takes me more or less the same time to cut but the result is 99.5% accurate, and consequently the finishing stage is minimal and I save a lot of time. Moral: I save time with the same result.

 

Hi Jack!

 

Any pics of that coping saw method? I never hear about it before...

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Daniel.

[jack.aubrey]

Hi Jack! 

Any pics of that coping saw method? I never hear about it before...

Thanks in advance.

 Daniel.

The coping saw is what is shown in the image here below . . can also be called fret saw; I had the right translation from an american guy, so I imagine it's right.

 

Thanks to you and Frank for the positive comments . . 

Regards, Jack.