Bellerophon (1786) Part One

[ColonelKrypton]

3 hours ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

Is talking about wandering off topic a case of wandering off topic. Wondering about wandering....

 

Makes me think of "train of thought".  Is that about trains or not about trains but it could be about trains. Oh look, there goes one now, a bit shiny CN VIA rail train on it's way to Montreal. I wonder if anyone on board is having a train of thought about trains? 

 

And just to wrangle this latest tangled web of banter back on tack ( sailing ship remember ), Billy is coming along nicely and starting to look more and more the part.

 

cheers, Graham

[Bertie McBoatface]

Waffle

Edited July 9, 2023 by Bertie McBoatface
Waffle reduction.

[Bigdave22014]

My train of thought is often a Bus Replacement service...

[ianBke]

Just remember,days getting this stage right saves weeks sorting it out whilst planking..

 

Great steady progress..

[Bertie McBoatface]

Waffle

Edited July 9, 2023 by Bertie McBoatface
Waffle reduction.

[ianBke]

That is exactly how I work... building is a pleasure not a pressure...some

Days lots them nothing for a few days 

 

Your jig will ensure throughout the planking she won't start to get a slight curve 

[Bertie McBoatface]

Waffle

Edited July 9, 2023 by Bertie McBoatface
Waffle reduction.

[ianBke]

1 hour ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

 

It's funny but when I declared my 'deadline' to be "at least five years" all the old pressure went completely away. I'd changed the rules. De-bugged my software. Re-contracted with the hobby. Changed my frame of reference. Etc

 

Good for you 😊😊😊 the right decision 

[rob Lyttle]

On 05/06/2023 at 17:11, Bertie McBoatface said:

Oh yes I remember him well.

Dylan..... "No work, no beans Man. Story of my life......." 😎

[Bertie McBoatface]

Waffle

Edited July 9, 2023 by Bertie McBoatface
Waffle reduction.

[Bertie McBoatface]

Waffle

Edited July 9, 2023 by Bertie McBoatface
Waffle reduction.

[Dmitriy1967]

17 minutes ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

Anybody else recognise this scenario?

 

I thought that if there are people shifting their blame to the cat, then surely there are people who will take the blame of the cat on themselves.

[Bertie McBoatface]

Waffle

Edited July 9, 2023 by Bertie McBoatface
Waffle reduction.

[Bertie McBoatface]

I thought this ship needs the supervision of a captain so I've begun work on the tiniest figure ever.

 

 

The casting seems a bit crude because I'm accustomed to much larger scale figures but it's definitely better than an Airfix 1/72 figure

 

 

While the ship is under construction, I'll make a base for the Captain. I thought of turning a barrel out of this walnut but since the main reason to do him now is to give me the correct sense of scale, that won't do. I'll keep it simple and use a thin plank.

 

 

Here he is, Captain Thomas Pasley, Bellerophon's first commanding officer, on his first (fictional) visit to the shipyard. (In fact he only took command long after she was completed.)  

 

Big ship, innit?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Here's an unexpected source of a useful material for scratchbuilding/detailing. I had a picture framed and found that the framers were selling off their offcuts of mounting board. There's enough here to keep me going for ages, especially as I have no idea where and whether I might use it. 😄

[Bertie McBoatface]

 

Having had almost a week off, I was suddenly overtaken with the desire to do a little more of this flat-pack assembly process. 

 

 

First, the stern If you can follow this diagram you'll see that piece 22 and its friend on the port side have several purposes. They treble the width of the keel at a vulnerable place, help to support the planks in this horribly curving part of the hull and they keep frame 17 square to the keel plate. It was worth taking some care with their fitting then.

 

 

This was my clamping scheme. because I was fitting the parts 22 and frame 17 at the same time,I did a dry-fit-and-clamp-up before complicating things with glue. It was a rehearsal of the sequence of clamping as well as the clamp locations and really paid off, making the wet fitting much more relaxed.

 

 

Despite the treble thickness keel, I thought that last frame was still vulnerable to my clumsiness. It's going to get a lot of filing and then there's the fitting of the tortured planks in that area - I could easily push hard in the wrong place and cause myself pain. This is a personal problem, the kit is probably fine as it is, for normal people, but it's as well to know one's failings and take precautions.

 

 

Two laminations of 6mm MDF made a perfectly parallel packing piece.

 

 

Never throw wood away and steal/buy/beg/borrow more whenever you get the chance! The 6mm MDF came from the frets for the building slip.

 

 

With one of these either side, the last frame is now as solid as can be.

 

 

While I was anticipating and perhaps preventing possible problems, I thought I'd do something with this fragile element at the other end. The round hole is where the foremast will go and I thought it would be a stronger fit if I don't break that thin section of keel between the mast hole and the slot for the frame assembly.

 

 

A very simple precaution that took less than five minutes to do.

 

 

There's a space immediately forward of frame 17 (identified on the plan by a red 'X') but I haven't filled that yet because I don't understand the geometry of the stern well enough yet. I hope it will become clearer when there are a few more parts fitted, particularly the three decorated decks of stern gallery.

 

The next significant update to the build log is HERE

[Chewbacca]

Good fix on that narrow piece by the foremast, but surely it was cut that way for a purpose?  Otherwise why would the original designer have put such a weak point in the design?  I hate to introduce worry, but are you sure that there isn't something else that goes in that slot later on?

[Bertie McBoatface]

On 6/11/2023 at 6:18 AM, Chewbacca said:

Good fix on that narrow piece by the foremast, but surely it was cut that way for a purpose?  Otherwise why would the original designer have put such a weak point in the design?  I hate to introduce worry, but are you sure that there isn't something else that goes in that slot later on?

 

I'm ok in this case but please don't stop warning me if you think I have done something daft. Sooner or later you will be right.😏

Edited July 9, 2023 by Bertie McBoatface
Waffle reduction.

[Head in the clouds.]

Permission to come aboard Sir?

 

I have just come across this build and it seems I am becoming hooked on this subject, even though we may as well be talking flux capacitors and warp drives. 

 

Firstly, a great choice of subject, a ship of fine pedigree so it seems and a rich history too. I have never modeled a ship, let alone a 'ship of the line' ( I am trying to avert my use of the term, sailing ship' as this seems to generic) so maybe that is why my fascination has been kickstarted by your WIP.

 

Also, when you started showing off your tool collection and mentioning a desire for more that struck a chord, ever since my early days in Engineering I always looked forward to when we received our tool allowance to acquire new and shinny tools, some of which never escaped their packaging.

 

Your mention of drawings being a work of art is so true, the detail contained therein amazes me to this day, if a picture speaks a thousand words then a technical drawing by equivalence would be a bible sized book.

 

I am looking forward to more from you and this WIP and please,please keep the explanations coming for the terminology used because, as the saying goes, I am a nautical virgin!

 

Gary

 

[Bertie McBoatface]

On 6/11/2023 at 11:23 AM, Head in the clouds. said:

I am a nautical virgin!

 

Welcome aboard

Edited July 9, 2023 by Bertie McBoatface
Waffle reduction.

[Bertie McBoatface]

26 minutes ago, Head in the clouds. said:

I am looking forward to more

 

Hit the follow button and never miss an exciting episode! 🤣

 

I should be on YouTube selling 'merch'. 😁 

[Head in the clouds.]

10 minutes ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

Hit the follow button and never miss an exciting episode

Already done...👍

[Bertie McBoatface]

Thomas Slade (1704-1771)

 

Designer 

 

 

She was designed by a man called Thomas Slade who was born in 1703 (or 4, no-one is certain) in Ipswich. Slade was what we would call a naval architect and worked for the admiralty throughout his life. In August 1755 he became the Surveyor of the Navy, their top engineer and designer, and in the following 16 years up to his death, he revolutionized naval shipbuilding. Prior to his influence the navy's ships were not of the best quality. They were certainly inferior to the ships of our traditional enemy, the French. By the time he died, Slade had reversed that situation.

 

In particular, he brought the the 74 gun ship to absolute perfection. Originally copied from French designs, Slade improved them in every way  until it became an accepted fact that a British ship in a single ship action (one of ours vs one of theirs) would defeat a French warship of up to 50% larger armaments, a British third rate would take on and was expected to defeat a French first rate. Later you will see Bellerophon doing just this and the superior quality of RN ships was maintained throughout the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The wars lasted from 1793 to 1815 and Bellerophon was active from start to finish.

 

Slade designed nine different versions of the 74 and each one was an incremental improvement over the last. They were all virtually identical above the waterline, which is why I can use the book on Bellona as a reference for Bellerophon. It was the underwater lines that were improved in subtle ways. The science of hydrodynamics was very young and a cautious series of changes was the best way to improve. One goal was to increase the possible speed of a ship. I say possible speed because this depended on many factors apart from hull shape. The details of the rigging, the cleanliness of the bottom, the way the ballast were stowed all made a big difference. At different times in her long career Bellerophon was both the fastest and the slowest ship in her fleet.

 

Another improvement was in 'stiffness', or the ability to stay upright in a breeze or a rough sea - essential for efficient use of the sails and of the guns. Yet another was in the ship's ability to sail 'close to the wind'. No sailing ship can sail directly into the wind but they can sail across the wind and angle into it. Bellerophon and the others could manage to sail about six compass points into the wind, or about 70 degrees from head to wind. That's probably confusing, sorry. Let's just say that every degree of manoeuvrability mattered. I'll go into that more when I start Billy Ruffian's rigging or begin to tell the stories of her cruises.

 

Slade drew the Arrogant class design in 1758. Altogether there were 14 of them but he died in 1771 and so didn't see all of them built. In fact all of the vessels which can be built from this Amati kit were built after he died. Bellerophon was launched in 1786, the same year as Elephant which was Nelson's flagship at the battle of Copenhagen. Vanguard, which was Nelson's flagship at the battle of the Nile was launched in 1787. I must mention in passing that Slade also designed HMS Victory which he at least saw launched in 1765.

 

Once again, I see parallels with the Spitfire, whose designer also did not live to see her finest hour.

 

 

The next significant build update is directly below.

[Bertie McBoatface]

 

The stove is a huge cast iron range.

 

The kit stove has a wooden carcase which is then skinned in thick brass. The brass goes all the way around the sides but omits the top. This is odd as I think the top will be visible, though at a low angle. 

 

 

I covered the top with a piece cut from a disposable aluminium turkey roasting tray. I only seem to see them at Xmas but they are worth buying for a sauce (sic) of delicious flat, thick and easy-to-work metal sheet. It's much more friendly than brass, though a little soft and easy to mar.

 

 

I've added a couple of handles already, but there are more to come. Those covers were cauldrons for the cooking of pease pudding, salt pork and similar culinary delights.

 

 

The sides each have large doors for stroking the fires and smaller ones which are the ovens. Pies and bread for the officers only.

 

 

This view of the rear of the stove puzzled me for a while. What are those rings at the corners?

 

 

Then I twigged. This is the roasting side. It's invisible when the stove is in place so there really wasn't much point supplying brass for it but the wooded carcase is so arranged that you can easily make a 'rotisserie' if you choose. I do not so choose. I've satisfied my creative urges by drawing the blue cow for you. However, I will make the sticking out handles. (The spits may actually have been driven by clockwork but sticking out handles tell the story better.)

 

Live animals, pigs and chickens and even cows were routinely kept on ships like these as a source of fresh meat (and milk until the cows started to sicken).

 

 

This is the most visible end of the machine. It's tremendously dull and the holes are a mystery to me. If they are air intakes, they are in the wrong place, much too high up. I think they might be a method of regulating the temperature of the cauldrons by venting some hot air but if so, they need some kind of adjustable shutters. I will act on my assumptions and hit the spares box for something plausible.

 

I also want to add some tie down rings which were used to lash several tons of hot iron stove safely in place in the heaviest of weather.

 

The next build update is HERE

[Bertie McBoatface]

Waffle

Edited July 9, 2023 by Bertie McBoatface
Waffle reduction.

[Jagdtiger1]

1 hour ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

p.s. @Jagdtiger1 (and others)  Don't react too quickly to my updates. I ALWAYS edit them and often add more good stuff in the half hour after posting. 😄

But its an adorable model oven! How can't I like it!?

Edited June 14, 2023 by Jagdtiger1