Thank you SimonWilliams for the kind words and support. Yes, this has been a very fun build especially since it is quite different from the typical ship build and since many parts that would typically be hidden from the viewer such as the ribs and deck joists are now visible it adds even more fun to the build.

And welcome to the forum! Hope to see you here and around other topics in the near future.

The elm pumps were assembled quite a while ago. I have an extensive post on these earlier in this build diary which also includes some historic details on elm pumps if you are interested (I find researching this stuff as I go along very fascinating).

All that is needed at this point is to blue the pumps into place. I didn't mention this while doing the decking for the lower and weather decks, but as I went along and planked each I would use a dowel to ensure the holes from deck to deck lined up as needed. Granted, once you start cutting holes into decks there isn't much you can do if you have a hole out of place. However, if you catch it during the planking stages you can at least redo the necessary planking and try again...not the ideal solutions but better than trying to fill in a hole in a deck.

Thankfully, both pumps slid nicely into place and there was only the slightest gap between the base of the port pump and the decking. A wee bit of glue and sawdust filled this in and it is no longer noticeable unless you know to look for it.

Next up...the pulleys. The instructions actually call these winches and I am guessing it is a simple translation error. As of this posting the pulleys are actually missing from the kit. Admin has a post about this here. Please be patient as DeAgostini is suffering from the same logistics problems as the rest of us. In my experience, they have always done right by their customers and will do so here as well.

In the meantime, and because I wanted to work towards finishing this build diary, I went ahead and ordered some brass pulleys from a supplier in the US. If anyone is interested in where I got these go ahead and PM me and I will send you the info.

Admin's post mentions 4 pulleys, but there are actually 12 that are needed (and missing). Once I received the 12 pulleys I went ahead and cleaned them with some white vinegar and annealed them as well to prepare them for painting. As with all brass on this build I have made the decision to paint it black. Before painting I did the following:

The instructions call for cutting a specific length of brass wire for the shaft. However, if you have been reading this log from the beginning you will know that I have a serious problem with measuring and cutting things...I tend to do the cutting first all too often. Because of my inability to measure things first I decided to cut a length of wire that was plenty long to go from pulley, through a post, and into the next pulley. I glue a single pulley to one end of each cut wire (6 in total). Once the glue dried I painted the pulleys black.

I then painted the other 6 pulleys black and let everything dry nicely. Once dry, I inserted the pulley with the wire through the post hole and glued the adjoining pulley onto the other side. I let the glue dry thoroughly and then went in with some cutters and snipped the wire flush with the pulley. I also used a needle file to ensure a nice smooth finish on the newly snipped end.

Finally, I went back with a bit more black paint and touched up those areas where I had removed any paint from the pulleys. The images below show where each set of pulleys gets installed.

To install the eye hooks for the canons I first used a small bit to pre-drill the hole. I then followed up with a larger bit to finish the holes off. Be very careful to not drill all the way through the bulwarks.

I then glued the four eye hooks into position as shown below and repeated this process on the opposite side.

The binnacle is next. This is where the ships navigation tools (compass, etc.) were contained. Below is an image of the binnacle built per the instructions.

I didn't originally intend to modify the binnacle in any way, but once seeing it completed I was very unimpressed. I just seemed like it should stand out more on a deck with many, many other details. After placing it on the deck as it was I was even more determined to spruce it up a bit. My next post will show the modifications.

Also, I am not sure what the hole on the top is for. In reality, there wouldn't be a hole there unless something was to be mounted over it. Otherwise, it would simply let water into the billet which would destroy the delicate instrumentation inside. I perused ahead in the instructions thinking that later on it would have us put something on the hole, but I did not find anything. And looking at the imagery in the instructions, that binnacle does not have a hole in it...so I am a bit perplexed.

NOTE: This is a mod...

I then painted the conical cap piece black and glued it to the pipe. Once that assemble was dry I glued it to the top piece. After letting the glass dry completely and removing the tape I attached the top assemble to the base. The end result is much more to my liking.

The book also showed that each side of the billet was roped to the deck through an eye hook towards the top of the billet on each outboard side. However, the scale of the rope is so fine that I don't see much value is adding it to this mod. If I change my mind I will be sure to post that here.

In total, this modification only took about an hour of effort. The longest portion was waiting several hours for the glass to dry, so in total it was a 6-hour modification. But drying time doesn't take any effort so I don't typically consider that.

The capstan is quite intricate and has several tiny parts. Carefully release each from the template and clean the char off the edges. I used a very fine sand paper (320 grit) to clean the char to ensure I did not accidentally remove too much material which is easy to do on tiny bits.

The assembly isn't very complicated but it is important that you clean/sand each piece appropriately and dry fit things into place. This is definitely one of those jobbers that need to look really top notch when complete. For some reason folks viewing a model ship are drawn to the capstan...I know I am as well.

The instruction call this a winch, which it is. However, it is a specialized winch designed for assisting in hauling in rope, chain, and the like aboard a sailing vessel. The capstan is essentially the same thing as the windlass (the horizontal winch at the bow for the anchors), but is instead vertical and used for a variety of tasks that require hauling heavy lines. They are still in use today and operate essentially the same although they don't look quite the same. But if you look close enough you do see the similarities to the capstans of old which is a testament to the basic design - it has endured for centuries. The engineering in days gone by is amazing and it is one of the wonders that keeps me interested in these ships.

Once I had the capstan assembled I added some wipe on poly. I didn't actually wipe it on as this thing has many deep crevices. Instead I dipped it in the poly and then wiped off the excess before letting it dry. Once dry I glued in in position on the deck.

The pinrails are next up. The instructions tend to call many parts "bulwarks" in a very generic sense. These do attach to the bulwarks and I guess could be considered part of the bulwarks, but they are rails for belaying pins and thus, pinrails.

There isn't much work to these other than cleaning up the char and smoothing the surfaces. The greatest challenge is positioning along the bulwarks. Pay careful attention to the instructions and position the pinrails along one side of the ship. On the next side be very certain that the alignment is exactly the same as the opposing side. It is okay if your pinrails are a hair fore or aft of where they should be (1mm or so), as long as they err the same on both sides.

Once I had all the pinrails in place I went ahead and applied some wipe on poly.

The deadeyes and chains are next. First, I must apologize. I took several photos while assembling these but have somehow managed to loose them. I don't know if I deleted them or what, but in the end I just simply don't have them, so my poor description will have to suffice.

Following the instructions will get you through this step quite well. Note that you will need to trim the brass pieces that wrap the smaller deadeyes. The kit hints that there are two different sizes but alas all mine were the same size. I did however have two different sized deadeyes, so I will call that a win.

You will need to assemble 10 of the larger deadeyes and 5 of the smaller ones. In my case, as with all things brass, I went ahead and painted them once assembled. I also chose to paint the deadeyes as well.

I did need to open the holes in the channels just a tad so the deadeyes could settle easily into place. You do not want to force them into place as this will simply result in breaking the wood on the channel. I used a sharp knife to remove a slight bit of wood from each hole and things worked out beautifully.

Once the deadeyes were in place I went ahead and attached a chainlink and chainplate to each one. I got all 15 assembled before I started attaching these to the hull. When attaching to the hull pay close attention to the angle of the chain and chainplate. Refer to the illustration in the instructions as it is pretty accurate. As you move aft of a mast the chains will start to angle more and more. Note...the chains should not go straight up and done. Imagine a rope running from the chain, up through the deadeye, and continuing onto the top of the lower mast. That is the angle your chains should be at.

I predrilled holes for each nail. I would place the top nail first and then align the bottom nail so the chain rain in a straight line up through the deadeye. Once everything was complete I did a bit of touch up with some black paint.

It appears I missed a post. This should have been posted after Post #301 and prior to Post #304.

We need to add some holes in the main deck for the anchor ropes to go through from the windlass to the lower deck.

Using a 6mm piece of planking you need to first drill a hole dead center. Then you need to carve/file/sand around that until you get a nice round ring. For small work like this it is easier to leave the small piece attached to the larger piece of wood and work it as much as you possibly can prior to detaching it from the main piece of wood. In this instance I ended up making four of these. One of them broke and another just wasn't to my liking. Out of the remaining three I picked the two I was happiest with. Sometimes it takes me several more tries for items this small. They key is to try again and again until you are satisfied with the results.

I predrilled the location of the holes with a very small bit. As I mentioned in previous posts, this helps ensure a nice accurate placement. Larger bits tend to wander as they spin until they bite into the wood. Predrilling provides a guide for the larger bit. After I pre drilled I came back at it with a 3.5mm drill bit. I did not use a drill and my pin vise is too small for a 3.5mm bit so I needed to just take my time and spin the bit between my fingers. It took several minutes for each hole, but it was well worth it to ensure a clean and precise hole.

Then it was a simple matter of gluing the wood rings into place and applying some wipe on poly.