Bomb Vessel Granado 1742 by mobbsie - FINISHED - 1/48 - cross-section

[riverboat]

Hi Tony... I have to agree with Mark.... "so clean and perfect".... nice work!!

 

frank

[keelhauled]

Beautiful work.  Love the beauty of the wood and the mastery in the execution!

Marc

[mobbsie]

Hi Guys,

 

Thank you all for your very kind comments and remarks and for hitting the like button.

 

Very little progress made lately, I busted 4 of my 5 0.5mm drill bits when working on the starboard bulwark bolts, replacements have now been received and so hopefully further progress can be made.

 

It will be very slow progress for a while, I have been given a commission for the Will Everad and so a lot of my time has been taken up with her. She will not be put on the forum as I feel that that should be kept private between the two of us.

 

Be patient with me guys and hopefully I will eventually post some progress.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[cog]

I wish you good luck with the Will Everad, and take care of those drill bits this time ...

[mobbsie]

Hi Guys,

 

A much belated thank you for your comments and remarks gents and for those hitting the like button, thank you.

 

Well after what seems a disgustingly long time since my last post I'm back onto the build and trying desperately to catch up with my build buddy.

 

The "Will" / "Gladys" is now complete and I'm just waiting for the glass case to be completed.

 

The Catch Up

 

Now that I'm back onto the build I've made the alterations to the gun port height, I didn't have to make two big a change, just 2mm on No 3 gun port, I haven't planked the outer hull yet so the alteration was fairly easy to do. Thanks for the heads up on that one Grant, I hadn't noticed it at all.

 

All the inner planks have now been drilled and filled and stained black, 0.5 brass wire was used to fill the holes and they were treated  with Antiquing Fluid ( Black ), I use this now instead of Birchwood Casey as it's more versatile and will treat brass, copper and Ferrous Metals. The inner planks were then given a coat of wipe on Poly.

 

Next up came the Wales, the Lower Wale and Filler Wales are 1/4 x 3/32 Ebony and the Upper Main Wale is 1/4 x 1/16 Ebony. A small bevel was put onto the outer edges and the Filler Wale and Upper Main Wale was shaped on the top edge, all very simple to do and quite straight forward, these were then glued into place 2 7/8" above the base of the Keel.

 

I then had to tackle the scuppers, I could go two ways here, I could either drill from both side of the hull or go through in one go, after a lot of soul searching I decided to go through in one, a big risk as it is awkward to get the angle right for a correct exit, using a 2.5mm drill bit a hole was drilled all the way through which I'm pleased to say worked out ok, this was then fitted with a piece of copper pipe and treated with the staining fluid, both sides worked out the same and are now done. Wipe on Poly was applied on the Wales to try and seal them off before planking the outer hull.

 

Whilst waiting for the Poly to dry I decided to work on the Sheer Rail, following Grants example I cut the Rail to size and then ground down a scraper blade to form a "W" which will be used to shape the rail. The Rail is made from 5/16 x 1/8 Ebony and again like Grant found it very easy to work with. The rail as put into a vice and my scraper shaper was put to good use. These ( 2 ) are now waiting to be placed fitted.

 

Next up came the hull planking, again whilst waiting for the Poly to dry I decided to cut the boards. The boards are 5/16 x 1/32 Yellow Heart and this was my first mistake, I cut the boards 5/32 x 1/32, how the hell I made this mistake I don't know, I just misread the cutting list or had an attack of my occasional number blindness, so the mistake was rectified and as no boards had been fitted so it was no biggy.

 

Next job to do will be to fit the outer boards and then the sheer rail, but in the meantime I have a few pics for you to peruse.

 

Port side Bulwark Bolts

 

 

Upper Mail Wale, Filling Wale and Lower Main Wale, the scuppers can be seen in the Upper Main Wale

 

 

 

This is one side of the Sheer Rail, cut a little longer than length in the vice ready for shaping.

 

 

The next two picture show the scraper doing it's job

 

 

 

The last picture shows the two completed Sheer Rails and the Scraper, two cut outs were made, one to give a deeper groove and the other to give a rounded edge to the rail, all in all I'm quite pleased with the result.

 

 

So there we have it, it's a simple start to the catch up but it is a start, any comments / remarks always welcome.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mtaylor]

Nice work, Mobbsie.  I think we all have had some "number blindness" happen.   I'm one of those that needs to check 3 or 4 times to be sure.

[Canute]

Amen to that. I check & double my numbers. Hate screwing up the simple stuff.

[gjdale]

Good to see you back at it Mobbsie. Glad to hear that my mistakes have served a purpose in giving you a heads up! Brave call on the scuppers but they worked out a treat. Everything is looking great - you'll be caught up to me in no time.

[augie]

Really nice work on the ebony, mate.  LOOKING SHARP!

[riverboat]

I see you gave up your job as a "cabbie" and returned to ship building ........ Look'n GOOD Tony, nice work as always!!

 

Frank

[mobbsie]

Hi Guys,

 

Thanks for the good word and comments, also those who hit the like button, cheers, very much appreciated.

 

You'll have to bear with me as I've just down loaded Windows 10 and it's all very strange and I think it's going to take quite some getting used to.

 

It's update time again.

 

As seen in my previous post the Sheer Rail was shaped and cut, well it's now fitted and very secure, I followed Grants lead and pinned and used epoxy resin to fix it permanently.

 

The outer hull planking is now complete and is just waiting for the bolts/treenails, its been a coat of wipe on poly. The one difference is that I've placed a single strake under the wales, the strakes being Yellow Heart and it all stands out quite well.

 

Now for the Mortar Bed, all made out of Swiss Pear and it seemed more like a jigsaw puzzle than anything else. However, we prevailed and have come up with a piece that I'm quite happy with. All the furniture has been added as has a coat of poly.

 

The Mortar, now that was a complete different kettle of fish, made from a 1" block of Ebony it really wasn't a job I was looking forward to. With the lathe screw head fitted and the piece fitted into my lathe and the correct selection of carving chisel's of I went. Now I had pictured in my mind just how this was going to turn out but boy was I wrong, I was absolutely disgusted with myself on my first attempt, so it was time to start again. Fortunately I had enough length of wood to continue and not have to reset, the second attempt was much more successful and turned out to be a keeper, I'll let you make your own minds up about that.

 

The Mortar and the Bed have now been married up and all clamps made and fitted, all in all I'm quite pleased with this part of the build, it's like a separate model on it's own.

 

OK, now for the tricky bit, the pictures, I'll most likely lose everything now.

 

It's not gone quite to plan but I hope you like the pics and as always all comments and remarks are most welcome

 

mobbsie

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2015 by mobbsie

[rafine]

Beautiful work on the mortar Mobbsie.

 

Bob

[gjdale]

Excellent work Mobbsie. That mortar barrel turned out exceptionally well - I think you under-rate your skills and abilities with that lathe! You are now officially ahead of me once more - and I'm very happy with that!!!

[Beef Wellington]

Great result Mobbsie, you make it look a lot easier than I'm sure it was.

[mtaylor]

That is an excellent mortar, Mobbsie.   I agree with Grant on your underrating of your skills.  You even got the crown and shield (?) on it. 

[mobbsie]

Thank you gents, I must admit that what with setting it all up, selecting the correct chisels and finally plucking up the courage to make the first cut took me the best part of a morning. The hardest part for me was boring out the barrel, I had to use a hand held drill.

 

I'll admit to also like working with Ebony, I know it has a bad reputation but it does have good qualities as well.

 

Mark, the crest is just a few scraps of Pear, cut thin with no finess or detail.

 

Next up will be the cannon, two I think, that will give me a headache trying to get them the same, for me that is a challenge.

 

Thanks again gents

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[trippwj]

Coming along nicely, Mobbsie.  Looking forward to the cannon!

[augie]

I honestly have no idea how you gentlemen manage to construct such a piece.  In a word, fantastic.

[cog]

Thank you gents, I must admit that what with setting it all up, selecting the correct chisels and finally plucking up the courage to make the first cut took me the best part of a morning. The hardest part for me was boring out the barrel, I had to use a hand held drill.

 

I'll admit to also like working with Ebony, I know it has a bad reputation but it does have good qualities as well.

 

Mark, the crest is just a few scraps of Pear, cut thin with no finess or detail.

 

Next up will be the cannon, two I think, that will give me a headache trying to get them the same, for me that is a challenge.

 

Thanks again gents

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

 

Mobbsie,

 

Very nice work on the mortar. I'll stick to enjoying your and Grant's build ... safer and so far I know my construction limits. I just might pose an idea ... couldn't you use a mould for the guns ... something more (or less) like this ...

 

You would be able to turn the same shape multiple times ...

Edited October 5, 2015 by cog

[mobbsie]

Hi Wayne, Augie & Carl, thanks gents for your remarks and comments.

 

Wayne, I cant wait to see the cannons either, gonna be interesting.  

 

Augie, I surprise myself mate, there are some jaw dropping builds on the site, yours included and I can only try and emulate your achievements and skill.

 

Carl, That is an interesting set up mate, unfortunately it's one I wont be able to copy, I have a Proxxon Lathe so there is no travel bed on it, I would have to build a completely new bed for it and I don't have the facilities to do that. I love the idea though and I envy you guys that are able to do that kind of thing, thanks very much.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[mobbsie]

Hi All,

 

Its update time again.

 

Progress made since my last post, both gun carriages are made up, there was no major problems with these but I thought I would offer a mock up to the gun ports and although they fitted they were a little high so I reduced the height by 1mm, this was taken from the lower half of the side (bracket). I'm happier with the fit now.

 

The gun carriage is made up from Red Heart of various thicknesses, the Axles are 3/16 x 1/8, Brackets( sides ) 1/4 x 3/32, Trucks 5/16 x 3/32, Transom 5/16 x 3/32, Bolster 3/32 x 3/32. With all the parts cut out and trimmed off assembly took roughly 15 minutes each, they really are that easy, so I have pictures of the finished gun carriages without the iron works, they will come later.

 

Next up came the gun barrel trunions, these are made up from 1/4 x 1/4 Ebony, they have to be taken down to 2mm so there is a fair bit to come off, my first attempt saw me get then down to approx. 3mm, then it just parted company with each end, I can only assume I was too heavy handed. The second attempt proved to be much better, success was achieved.

 

Then it was the time for the gun barrels, these are made up from 5/8 x 5/8 square stock, fixed firmly in my 4 jaw chuck and centred at the live end of we went, all went well and I got two lengths down to 9mm which is the widest part of the barrel, I started on the muzzle of the first one and was working back which is 5.5mm at its widest point, I made a bit of a pigs ear during the travel back but I thought I would carry on for practice.

 

As I moved towards the rear of the barrel a chunk of wood was spat out, checking it out I thought I had taken too big a bite and so carried on as this was after all a practice piece, I had to move away from this damaged part and so thought why not remove the excess from the remaining block,( I had allowed a length for three barrels ). So I started to remove the excess when the wood just exploded on me, what the hell did I do wrong, I felt no hard snatch on the chisel so I knew I hadn't gouged it. On inspection I found the wood to have had a long split from end to end, this may have caused the damage to the first one.

 

Going back and checking out the rest of my stock I found another two pieces had splits in, I have sufficient left so worries there (thanks to Jeff) so I will have another go later.

 

Some Pics

 

One completed gun carriage and the components for the second 

 

Same again different angle

 

Both Gun Trunions are still joined together.

 

The first of the gun barrels being turned (so far so good)

 

Extending the cut to the second gun

 

Both gun barrels down to 9mm

 

My pigs ear on No1 barrel and the damage to the wood

 

Just some of the mess

 

The final split, you can see the chunk that's come off on the chisel support

 

The final pics are of two of the blocks with splits in, it was these splits that caused the problem.

 

 

So there we are, tomorrows another day, maybe a bit better progress.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mtaylor]

Nice work, on the carriages, Mobbsie.  A pity on the split wood but I think you've got a great attitude.  The next two will probably be perfect.

[gjdale]

Carriages look great Mobbsie. Shame about the split wood - I'll be giving my stock a careful check over before following suit!

[dvm27]

I was never happy with turned ebony. Very difficult to keep crisp edges on the reinforcing rings resulting in small nicks and the incredible black mess. If you continue to have failed pieces you may wish to consider turning boxwood or pear. After dyeing them you can't tell the difference and your lungs are much happier.

[mobbsie]

Thanks Guys,

 

Greg, thanks for the suggestion mate, I do have some Pear 5/8 x 5/8 square stock and may well give it go, but first I have to try again with the Ebony.

 

One question, what do use to stain the Pear, I can only think of Black Shoe Polish. ?

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[CaptainSteve]

Mobbsie, not sure if you can pick it up in Ol' Blighty, but down here in the Colony I managed to get hold of a wood stain called Black Japan. I'm planning on using it for my Connie when planking time comes. Reckon it will allow the wood-grain to show through better than if I were to paint.

Edited October 10, 2015 by CaptainSteve

[mtaylor]

If you can find it, Min-Wax makes and ebony stain.   It may take two applications but it does look great.   I found it take more than one application as it raises the grain slightly and will need some light sanding. 

 

The other is Fiebing's leather dye.  They make one in black and if you use alcohol instead of water, it won't raise the grain.     http://www.fiebing.com/

[Beef Wellington]

Caldercraft are now selling an Ebony stain in their Admiralty range, I have some, but haven't used it yet.

[dvm27]

Thanks Guys,

 

Greg, thanks for the suggestion mate, I do have some Pear 5/8 x 5/8 square stock and may well give it go, but first I have to try again with the Ebony.

 

One question, what do use to stain the Pear, I can only think of Black Shoe Polish. ?

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

I use Fiebings leather dye.  It does a beautiful job but you need to be careful when applying as it penetrates very well. I usually stain pieces like wales off the model and touch them up after securing them in place. Their brown dye is perfect for blocks. You may also achieve a very nice black color, especially on brass, using black automotive primer. Several light coats fill in small gaps and leaves a nice smooth finish.

[mobbsie]

Hi All,

 

Thank you so much for all your suggestions regarding the staining of the wood, I will most likely go for the Caldercraft one suggested by Jason although I don't need it right now. You've all given me a wealth of information for which I am really grateful. Thanks again.

 

I gave turning the Ebony one more try on Friday and I'm happy to say I have two passable cannon, their not identical but not far apart, good enough for a rank amateur turning freehand.

 

I do have some pics which I will post very soon but right now I have to take my son to Brands Hatch (a racing car circuit) , the Admiral and me got him a race day for his birthday and he's chosen today to go. It's a boys thing and very much a bit of fun. He gets to drive two cars, a BMW 4 Series and a Single Seater, full tuition given to start then he's left on his own.

 

I will post an update tomorrow with pics along with my method of making the Trunion Caps.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

Edited October 12, 2015 by mobbsie