DocBlake's HMS Blandford Cross Section Build - 1/32 Scale - [COMPLETED BUILD]

Beautiful set of carriages - your work is always so precise!
I find building using boxwood is very satisfying - it is a little harder than most modelling woods, but it is so much 'cleaner' in the sense that it keeps it's edges, and the grain is far less visible.
Thanks for the link for the looper - I didn't realise there were such things!

Ted
 
Hi Dave,

I've no direct experience of Yellowheart - It isn't commonly sold over in the UK.
My own preference is to use boxwood, and then darken down slightly with sanding sealer. The old ship modellers generally used boxwood, and it develops that lovely golden patina with time.
Question is - How much time have you got...............?

Ted
 
I fit the gunport liners before planking the inboard bulwarks. The plans called for the vertical liners to be the same thickness as the horizontal lines (sills). By making them a bit smaller, I was able to cut the rough gunports along the line where the frames glued up, making the cuts much easier and straighter that cutting through the solid beech. I then planked the bulwarks. I also added thicker spirketing planks above the waterways.



bulwarks1.jpgbulwarks2.jpg
 
I cut out the bulwark planking covering the gun ports and trued the pot sides and sills with some small files. I treenailed the inboard planking and laid the deck on the port side where the cannons will sit. Here are some shots. I need to put on a couple more coats of poly and begin work on the outboard planking.#1.jpg#2.jpg#3.jpg#4.jpg#5.jpg#6.jpg
 
I couple of years ago, I picked up a box of scrap ends, cutoffs, split/cracked pieces and other un-sellable wood pieces...all of ebony! The cost was about $30. The wood is useless for full size woodworking except to make pegs or contrasting small inlays etc. but for modelling, it is very usable. It does take some preparation, though. All the ebony parts we included in our three kit project "17th Century Battle Station" came from this stash. I just completed the blanks for the wales and black strake as well as for two black strakes to be used at the level of the channels for some contrasting visual interest. The photos show the wood and the thicknessed blanks.eb1.jpgeb2.jpg
 
Thanks, Jim!

In Goodwin's AOTS book, he states pretty definitively that the decoration/paint scheme of Blandford is speculative, as no definitive evidence of what was actually done exists. Depictions are based on what was common practice and on contemporary models. This gives a current model builder a lot of latitude in deciding what to add!

Obviously the wales will be ebony (black). Some might opt for an ochre color for the middle of the three wale planks, but I think that's too "busy" for my taste. The bulk of the outboard planking should be ochre (yellowheart or boxwood). 17th century, and early 18th century British ships often had a couple of thicker planks at the level of the channels, known as "channel wales". Blandford did not. But adding two black strakes where the channel wales would be does add a pleasing visual effect. Here is a rough plan of what I intend to do: I'll probably make the fenders of ebony, also!


Blandcolors.jpg
 
I've built 4 models with yellowheart as the outboard bulwark planking, simulating ochre. In my 18th Century Ship of the Line build, I used boxwood. I liked the look and it worked well with the ebony, bloodwood and holly. I think I'll go with boxwood for Blandford. The ship of the line had the channel wale I mentioned in my last post!



in the lastdone7.JPGdone11.JPG
 
DocBlake said:
I cut out the bulwark planking covering the gun ports and trued the pot sides and sills with some small files. I treenailed the inboard planking and laid the deck on the port side where the cannons will sit. Here are some shots. I need to put on a couple more coats of poly and begin work on the outboard planking.View attachment 109157View attachment 109158View attachment 109159View attachment 109160View attachment 109161View attachment 109162
Click to expand...
Lovely work, as ever!
Well done

Ted
 
DocBlake said:
I couple of years ago, I picked up a box of scrap ends, cutoffs, split/cracked pieces and other un-sellable wood pieces...all of ebony! The cost was about $30. The wood is useless for full size woodworking except to make pegs or contrasting small inlays etc. but for modelling, it is very usable. It does take some preparation, though. All the ebony parts we included in our three kit project "17th Century Battle Station" came from this stash. I just completed the blanks for the wales and black strake as well as for two black strakes to be used at the level of the channels for some contrasting visual interest. The photos show the wood and the thicknessed blanks.View attachment 109163View attachment 109164
Click to expand...
A very nice stash!
In various forums, contributors are often saying that ebony planking is difficult to work and tricky to glue, but I have found that with care and patience there doesn't seem to be a problem.
I would say:- Use sharp tools; boil or steam the timber over a former; clean down with a solvent; glue in place with plenty of clamps, and finally, and most important, trennel the plank securely (don't just rely on the glue)

You were very fortunate to find so much ebony, and I had a stroke of luck forty years ago (yes, forty years!) when I picked up two large sacks of true English Boxwood for a nominal amount. It had come out of one of the old weaving mills, where they used it to make the shuttles, and was probably very old, as English Boxwood has not been available for more than a century. A lovely creamy yellow, with dense straight grain.
Down to about half a sack now, but reckon it will see me out.
A sea-faring friend also brought me back a couple of pieces of Lignum vitae from the Falkland Islands, where it was used as propshaft bearings in the old whaleboats. Not as useful, but I use it to form the sheaves in pulley blocks to obtain a nice contrast.

Ted
 
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