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H.M. Schooner Fair Rosamund, the compact version


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Can't use a ready made on this 'un. My masochistic demon demands more detail. Just been drawing up a simple vac-form box. At least vac-forming the hull will be quicker than a carved hollow one like I did for Scottish Maid. My Bible for all this idiocy is Phillip Reed's excellent book 'Period Ship Modelmaking' which I would recommend to anyone getting into scratch building. He generally works to very small scales, but the techniques are broadly applicable to larger scales. George Davis' book 'The Built Up Ship Model' written ages ago is a wealth of good stuff as is his other book 'The Ship Model Builder's Assistant' Davis' books can be picked up second hand quite cheaply. I bought them when I bought my first wooden kit - Artisana Latina's 'Harvey' a totally fictitious ship.

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OK, about three hours of not so hard graft and I have a vacform jobbie.

vacform_zpstmwg46l5.jpg

vacform-2_zpsawerpxjb.jpg

Needs a bit of finishing but otherwise, hopefully, good to go. I drew up a simple set of plans so I'd know what I was cutting... now to carve a boat blank.

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Geroff! Have a look at this in my Scottish Maid WIP. It's just not practical if you want to get more than one a year done! Well, Probably won't anyway. :)

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Some more progress, the mainmast. A tricky bit of turning and making. It's total length is about the same as the length of the hull. Talk about tall ships...

mainmast_zpsyndfqgzc.jpg

mainmast-doubling_zps9js49upl.jpg

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Some more progress, the mainmast. A tricky bit of turning and making. It's total length is about the same as the length of the hull. Talk about tall ships...

mainmast_zpsyndfqgzc.jpg

mainmast-doubling_zps9js49upl.jpg

Beautiful work, looks gorgeous. Genuine model building :goodjob:

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Some time ago I bought a Proxxon wood lathe and it has been very useful. Started with square section Degame of about 3mm diameter, scraped it to an octagonal section, cut it over long, chucked one end into the lathe and, with a scrap of sand paper in my right hand, worked it down. Lower masts, incidentally don't usually taper. Any rotary tool you can chuck the mast stock into will do. Remember that in real practice, masts were tapered by hand from square, on the first wooden kit I built I did that when I realized that the wood supplied for the top masts, booms, gaffs and yards was crap. Just hand tapered spruce.

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Thanks for the info Seadog. From memory, my fist wooden kit (by Billings) had pre- tapered masts and spars. My stalled Yugoslavian training ship had terrible pieces of dreadful quality dowel that put me off. Was planning on using the dremm El and sandpaper for the Albatros masts, so sounds like I'm on the right track.

Cheers,

Spud

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I've been spending a surprising amount of time making a top for the fore mast. I have no proof that she had a full top platform, but from what I've been able to glean from the books I have, it was common on Brigs and since Fair Rosamund was a 'Brig-Schooner' I thought that it was a distinct possibility, especially after being taken into the RN. A somewhat similar Brigantine, HMS Dolphin, built about the same time, seems to have. The actual Admiralty sail plan, of which i have a copy doesn't really give much of a clue. So that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

It's really hard finding any drawings of mast tops on what is basically a merchant ship during the first half of the nineteenth century. The form I used is based on one in MacGregors book ' Merchant Sailing Ships 1815 - 1850'.

I think it'll look OK once neatened up and painted black. I've built it up over a copy of the drawing I made from a piece of watercolour paper, which is fairly thick and tough and acid free. A thourough sousing in Cyano makes it really tough and able to take a bit of sanding as well...

mast-top_zpsdlqdadfa.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Been re-doing the mast tops, wasn't convinced.. and also did this

boat_zpst0rfr52m.jpg

It was certainly challenging. The hull was a vac form...only took four attempts before I got something usable...Thwarts etc are card and the oars are bits of brass wire with flattened ends. Swear I'm never going to work at 1/44th again!

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" Swear I'm never going to work at 1/44th again! "

Oh yes you will ! :winkgrin:

Your Jolly Boat is looking superb Fraser, well worth all the effort you've put into it.

Kev

PS Can I place an order for a couple of 1/144 lifeboats, only when you've got nothing else to do of course.....

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" Swear I'm never going to work at 1/44th again! "

Oh yes you will ! :winkgrin:

Your Jolly Boat is looking superb Fraser, well worth all the effort you've put into it.

Kev

PS Can I place an order for a couple of 1/144 lifeboats, only when you've got nothing else to do of course.....

Thanks but, ummmm, don't think I'll be going into business making 1/144th little boatie things. The hull was,the easy bit, and making a vac form was easy and cheap,next thing I really think I ought to do , tool-wise would be getting to grips with photo etched bits and pieces. drawing the stuff up is pretty simple. As to scale, I think I'll be going back to 1/96th for the next one!

Spud: a boat at 1/55th is a lot easier. There's a brilliant book which I referred to to build the boat for my Scottish Maid at 1/96th scale. Amazon is practically giving it away.

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I actually have two copies, one from a second hand book store and the other pitched up in a box of donated books to a school fair, for 50p.... Couldn't resist.

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Evening. Despite appearances to the contrary, I haven't been resting on my laureal, or bum, for that matter. I've re-done the crosstrees on both masts as I wasn't sure they were accurate. Still not totally sure but I think these are a lot closer anyway.

crosstrees_zpscmtkm1nc.jpg

This is a bit of a slow patch in so far as I'm trying to get all the bits for masting and rigging done before I start....lots of bits and pieces.

mastsandspars_zpsdzppc1zp.jpg

Masts and booms and gaffs. Haven't started on the yards yet either; seven of them plus a few stuns'l booms. Anchors are pretty well done now.

anchors_zpsaqaxvfxz.jpg

Next puzzle will be how to mke a shedload of dimunitive deadeyes and blocks....Think I need a drink.

Ta for looking,

F

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Nice job on those masts, lots and lots of little bits to gather/make before you have an erection :winkgrin:

Anchors are looking the biz

:popcorn:

Kev

Fnar fnar....wait till you see my jib boom in place....

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