Gibbo, Alan, Tony,

many thanks for your comments, I've greatly appreciated them. I'll continue to keep posted this WIP in the future.

Regards, Jack.

A set of more focused photos of some details. . the first still on decorations
 
01 Senzatitolo-1-1.jpg

 
02 Senzatitolo-2-1.jpg


03 Senzatitolo-3-1.jpg

Wednesday, September 19, 2012
 
The last evolution of the stern.
 
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Then yesterday I took the hull and I fixed rigidly on the work table upside down to start thinking seriously about the decorations that are under the lower gallery and those to be placed on the two lower smaller bottles.
 
I must now say that the decorations of the lower bottles do not fit very well on their surface and, by a careful examination and after various positioning tests, this is a quite big problem . . I'm still far from a clear idea of how to proceed . . I'm considering to rebuild totally them with mouldings like FIMO or Milliput . . 
 
Kind regards, Jack.Aubrey.

Monday, October 1, 2012 - Display Case
 
In these days since my last post I continued the work on the display case. For the base I bought at the nearest woodstore the three elements that characterize it, namely:
 
1) - a beech table (thickness 18mm) cut with dimensions of 99 x 27 cm; the customized cutting service was provided by the woodstore staff;
 
2) - strips of wood (unidentified), length 240 cm, 3 cm x 0.5; it will be used for the outer frame of the base;
 
3) - 5 knobs of lathed wood for the "legs" of the base.
 
The pictures 01 and 02 show the upper part of the base, with the outer frame applied. As can be observed the frame delimits the perimeter of the base and, being higher than 1.2 cm. will serve to hold the plexiglass of the transparent element of the case.
 
The wood was then treated with a coat of wood filler. Once the paint dried I sanded everything with very fine steel wool and then I applied a couple of coats of wood oil, the same I usually use for the model. Between one coat and the other I had to wait a couple of days to allow the oil to deeply penetrate and dry.  
 
01 P1080388.jpg


02 P1080389.jpg

 
In the next two images (03 and 04) I show the bottom of the base, which is also treated with a coat of wood filler. Here are visible the five knobs that have the function of "legs". I decided it was necessary a fifth knob placed in the centre to avoid a possible failure in the central area of the base under the weight of the parts above. Unfortunately for this knob I had to use a different color because the light ones were finished, but it is well hidden under the base and should not be visible.
 
03 P1080383.jpg


04 P1080385.jpg

 
Finally, the last image, even if these details are also visible in the first two (but in high resolution) where you see the threaded cylinders where I will fix the pedestal shown in the previous message. Anchor points are in number of four.
 
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That's all for now, even though I have more pictures to show, but in the next episode. .
 
Cheers, Jack.

Thursday, October 4, 2012
 
To complete the images of the above messages, here is the display case base with the model in place . .
 
Regarding possible display variants I decided to build a third boat, in place of the two proposed by the kit manufacturer, more precisely, I would like to build a longboat.
 
Then I decided to put only one of these three boats, perhaps the smallest, over the structure (this structure is a bit strange indeed, I've never seen a similar one on other models) that should host it amidships.
 
I'm going to show the other two boats not aboard but on the base of the case in a suitable position. This would allow a better overview of the details in place in the central area of the deck, certainly less crowded and to increase the visibility of these boats, presented separately. I spent a lot of time to build these boats and I would like to better appreciate them.
 
I did some simulations and the idea likes me very much . .
 
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Greetings, Jack.

Below a possible idea of how to position and present the ship boats, externally to the model, on the display case basement. If we exclude the black base which of course is not needed, this presentation system would have two advantages: allow to display the boat with more viewpoints visible and the possibility of fixing the boat base to the basement with a simple double-sided tape. .
 
01 pinfin4_863.jpg

 
Cheers, Jack.Aubrey.

Saturday, October 13, 2012 - Gun port lids
 
As I have previously written, I changed all the necessary material for the gun-port lids because I wanted to implement a method of securing themselves to the hull that was very strong. In fact the pieces proposed in the kit, although correct from a formal point of view, do not provide any appropriate method to fix them on the hull.
 
So, as I wrote, I re-did from scratch everything. For the larger square, originally plywood with 2mm thickness, I did it again using plywood (1.5 mm) on which I glued strips of ​​chestnut veneer (0.5 mm), the same wood used for the second planking of the hull. I have prepared in this way bars of 15 x 10 cm and then I cut with the table saw piece to piece.
 
Regarding the second piece, the smaller square, I re-did it in a different form: instead of square I made it rectangular, so that it protrudes from a side of about 3mm from the larger square element. If you look at the picture below you will easily understand what it came out.
 
Then glueing the two pieces together using a template to ensure all result the same and, finally red acrylic paint of the inside. 
 
01 P1080403.jpg

 
Then it was the turn of the eyebolts. Those proposed by the kit are out of scale for me. 
 
I opted for building from brass wire/thread. The ring has an inner diameter of 0.75 mm. Must be burnished prior to assembly.
 
02 P1080409.jpg

 
I developed a prototype that I brought up to the final assembly stage, to see if it satisfied me. It is visible in the three images that follow. The eyebolts used have an internal diameter of 1.5 mm as I have used material already available to accelerate the process. The final version will use the smaller ones. I also have in mind further improvements.
 
For gluing the lid to the hull, as well as the half-barrel, I used two-components epoxy glue. I've seen that this glue provides a very strong bonding. For the lid would be enough the vinyl glue, but since I had already prepared the epoxy I used the latter. But I think the epoxy is much more tenacious, then I'll probably use this one for the future.
 
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05 P1080413.jpg

 
Once finished the prototype now I have to move to mass production for all the rest. The work to be done is a lot: about 200 eyebolts, three holes for door, assembly, ropes, etc.. For the moment, what I wanted was the prototype while for the rest there is time, since before there are more important things to do.
 
See you next time, Jack.Aubrey.

Monday, November 12, 2012
 
I decided to work on the gunwales above the third deck battery (waist), an activity that involves the use of the metal columns that I had previously colored red.
 
Obviously I was prepared myself teorically to manage this step and I came to the conclusion that: 

1. I would have used the bi-component epoxy glue to bond the metal columns to the deck, and that
   
   
2. I would have bent the rails 2 x 7 to follow the curve of the waist and the forecastle using the trick to prepare two strips 2 x 3,5 glued together, so as to form a 2 x 7, on a template obtained from the same contour of the deck.
   

 
For the second point it seems obvious to point out that once the whole composite was dried completely would have had the exact shape of one side of the waist and forecastle.
 
Due to the long drying time of the bi-component glue, I spent a day bonding all the columns on the waist while I spent the next day to apply the strip prepared in step 2, the columns are glued in turn to the top strip always with bi-component glue.
 
It was not a difficult job, the only real problem was caused by the same columns that, perhaps because of the molding process not very accurate, were not all exactly with the same height and then in some cases were too short and other too long.
With a lot of patience I leveled all the columns with the mini-drill, which was mounted on a grinding wheel suitable for metal. 
Some adjustments to the bulwarks profile which lacked a few tenths in certain points and then I could proceed with the final bonding.
 
The third day was dedicated to finishing the job done and to complete some of the remaining two ship boats accessories (rudders, eye bolts, coils of rope, etc.), to install accessories today in order to have the boats "really" finished .
 
Below are some pictures of the work done.  
 
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04 P1080432R.jpg


05 P1080433R.jpg

 
Cheers, Jack.Aubrey.

Saturday, December 1, 2012 (please look at the date, its important to understand this message) . . 
 
I spent this last week to choose, collect, prepare and load into the car all what I'll need to "winter" in Tuscany, centre of Italy.
 
I just finished loading on my car almost everything; the remaining bargage for next morning, at the last useful moment.
 
Tomorrow,  at around 10:00, with the tide, sailed the anchors, I put the bow to south / south-east in "deep downwind close-hauled" to Parma, then south-west with "starboard tack" until La Spezia and then south to Pisa with "the wind in the sails". Go back upstream on Arno river with the favourable tide and I will arrive . .
 
The ship yard is now closed and will be reopened in 2013, most probably in May.
 
Cheers, Jack.Aubrey.

Thursday, June 20, 2013 - back to work
 
Today, after a few days when the hot weather was the absolute master, I finally started to work around my Soleil Royal. .
 
Date absolutely to remember: it was since November of last year that the show was over. I'll manage this shipyard concurrently with that of the Twelve Apostles where I'll probably have frequent downtime because of the monthly shipments.
 
The aim of this first activities is to install on the forecastle the red columns that long time ago I prepared. There are also some hardwood rings, that will serve as "open gunports" for the forecastle guns.
 
First I prepared the two (curved) handrails for the castle, which will then be applied over the red columns and the rings. I took the exact shape of the curve on both sides, in order to prepare the curved pieces. I glued together two strips 2.5 x 2mm and retained them over the previously obtained template. When the glue made its mission the two pieces were permanently curved and ready for use.
 
Then I started the preparation of the straight rack at prow: twelve columns spaced from each other by 91 mm. When drilled the holes to receive the columns I bonded the latter in place with epoxy glue. Now they are drying waiting for tomorrow, when they will be mounted in an "extra strong way".
 
I then started to prepare the material for the ladders that are located on the two sides of the hull: by the time I prepared only the basic element consisting of a compound strip 4 x 1 plus another 2 x 2. 
 
Of course I have no images to show, virtually there is nothing interesting to show in the work done today.
 
That'a all for today, see you next time, Jack.Aubrey.