HMS Alert [1777] 1:48 POF by serikoff. (Two hulls: skeleton and fully rigged)

[serikoff]

She's coming along so nicely. I like your "faux nailing work" as well. I read that some fear the moment you would go with oil or other finishing treatment, but in that case, untill the moment you won't be able to reach the hold due to the upper structures, you can dye nail heads in black. Cheers!

I am also thinking now when it is better to cover with oil. When using a brush with a curved base, in theory, all places can be covered with oil. It is necessary to check before fixing all the elements of the upper deck. I will not specifically cover the places of imitation bolts (black) with anything else to imitate the bolt heads, since I checked that when covering with oil, these punctures (imitation bolts and dowels) will be very visible anyway, but at the same time they will not differ much from wood (there will be no black dots) and thus will not create ripples (strong accent). Earlier I showed samples with oil.

 

[Albert Mary]

I am also thinking now when it is better to cover with oil. When using a brush with a curved base, in theory, all places can be covered with oil. It is necessary to check before fixing all the elements of the upper deck. I will not specifically cover the places of imitation bolts (black) with anything else to imitate the bolt heads, since I checked that when covering with oil, these punctures (imitation bolts and dowels) will be very visible anyway, but at the same time they will not differ much from wood (there will be no black dots) and thus will not create ripples (strong accent). Earlier I showed samples with oil.

Yeah, good point!

 

[serikoff]

The final chord on the lower deck is 4.8 ladders.

You will see them a little less than anything, but the big-eyed will see.



Only these details were included. The steps themselves were not provided, even the instructions do not describe how this is done. Here is my version of the execution. On a real ship, the principle of connection was different, but if you start from blanks, you can do it like this (as I will show) and it will also be correct.

First I tried them on locally... they came up, but with a little - there is a nuance, at the end I will show how I corrected it.





To begin with, I polished the front and inner surfaces, since they cannot be processed later.



Next, I calculated the distance between the sidewalls (a).

а = width of the opening (where the ladder is installed) - 2b (two width of the racks) - 0.4 mm (grinding after gluing from both sides by 0.2 mm)



If everything is calculated correctly, then the finished staircase can fit into the opening for it.

Next, I glued all the PVA parts.



And after drying, the glue ground the edges of the steps and 0.2 mm on each side of the wall of the side racks.



Well, I also polished the remaining surfaces where there were traces of laser cutting.

Here is the before and after result.



But when I tried on the stairs in their openings and put a figure next to it on a 48th scale, I realized that something did not fit...

If the front staircase (with 4 steps, marked purple) fit and everything with it was fine, it corresponded to the anatomy drawing...



... then the rear staircase (with three steps, marked green) if installed in the opening, it completely blocked it. And this is logical, because in the anatomy of steps not 3 but two!! Therefore, I completely redid the rear staircase, removing the upper step and making the staircase itself and the step already wide.



And after fittings, I realized that it was the right decision. Since now the staircase did not overlap the opening and now it looks like this.



I didn't have time to take pictures after fixing (the sun set). So, if everything is as planned, tomorrow I will photograph everything against the background of a figure on the 48th scale.
And to be honest, I was shocked how cramped it was inside the ship!! That's right very cramped! Wait and you will see for yourself.

 

[serikoff]

I wanted to photograph everything together against the background of Nelson's figurine so that the scale of the person could be seen...
but for some reason I made the height of the figure 182cm... which is too much for a sailor of those years.

So below, the result of fixing the stairs, and a little later we will continue with the figures.

Oh yes, there are 576 parts on the ship at the moment!

And in total, 68 wonderful days were spent building this model.

Front staircase:









And the rear (converted) staircase:









Let's continue with the figures...

I took the one already printed (the one that is 182 cm tall) and realized that on such a ship this growth would simply be torment, since there would be very closely tall people.

I asked the chatGPT what was the height of Nelson and the average sailor of those times. This value was +- 165 cm. And since my height is 170 cm, I will print something average (168 cm, this is about 35mm with a 48m scale, plus a hat). And this will not only give the viewer an idea of how cramped the sailors were on the ship, but also to me, regarding my height (as if I were there).

Printing will take 7 hours, so I will do it tomorrow while I am at work, and in the near future I will take a photo to demonstrate the ratio of the dimensions of the ship with the average sailor of that time. It will be interesting!

P.S. Oh yes... (if you do not take into account the photo with Nelson). Today I will start the upper deck...

​

 

[dockattner]

Very nice work, Sergey! The joinery is fantastic.

But your pace of work makes me worry for your marriage - how about a date night ? She misses you!

 

[RussF]

... so I will do it tomorrow while I am at work ...

But your pace of work makes me worry for your marriage

Wait ... what?!?

Work? Wife? What sorcery is this? Do you have a magic time machine that stops time while you are in the shipyard?

 

[serikoff]

Very nice work, Sergey! The joinery is fantastic.

But your pace of work makes me worry for your marriage - how about a date night ? She misses you!

Thank you for your appreciation, very nice!

Ahahhaah... don't worry about your spouse, she is more often around than you think...
She is so often nearby that it can be called - always
We are at home nearby (I build a ship, and she sews, this is her hobby).
We walk (whenever possible) and she's there.
And we work nearby))) She is my dental assistant.
So, the wife is permanent - my shadow

Wait ... what?!?

Work? Wife? What sorcery is this? Do you have a magic time machine that stops time while you are in the shipyard?

Ahahaha, funny. They made me laugh a lot, thank you very much!
Part of the answer is already a little higher in this post, but seriously, unfortunately, not so pleasant events make it possible that I can pay so much attention to the ship. There is war in the country and not that I cannot travel (and this is what I did all my free time before), but there is no way even to leave the city. So, all my free time, so that the psyche does not collapse from everything that happens, I spend behind the ship. It calms me down and really distracts me from the horror of what's going on. But we hold on and hope everything will be fine.

 

[RussF]

Ahahaha, funny. They made me laugh a lot, thank you very much!

I'm so glad that I could bring a smile to your face, if even briefly. As we get caught up in the absolute beauty of your build, it is easy to lose sight of the horrible circumstances you have been forced to endure. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and your countrymen, my friend.

 

[serikoff]

I'm so glad that I could bring a smile to your face, if even briefly. As we get caught up in the absolute beauty of your build, it is easy to lose sight of the horrible circumstances you have been forced to endure. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and your countrymen, my friend.

Thank you very much for your understanding and your kind words, I really appreciate it. I really hope that this horror will end someday, and it is better that as early as possible. Thanks again!

 

[AllanKP69]

This continues to be one of my favorite builds to follow. You continue to give us excellent work and excellent photos.
Allan

 

[AllanKP69]

We are at home nearby (I build a ship, and she sews, this is her hobby).
We walk (whenever possible) and she's there.
And we work nearby))) She is my dental assistant.

So who cooks? I love my wife's cooking and I love to cook now and then but I sometimes think about the dishes from my mother and grandmothers like studinetz which we will never try to make on our own. Very strange, but tasty.
Allan

 

[serikoff]

4.9 Upper (main) deck (preparation).

I will not go into details much, here all manipulations are exactly the same as before (with frames). First, I separated the parts from the dies.
Beams:



Сarlengs: (one was superfluous)



and Knees:



Then I eliminated all the holders and extra bits.







And now, according to the scheme, it will be necessary to assemble the deck... it will be interesting.



In the meantime, I sorted all the details into groups (I signed everything using all the same packages as for the frames) and all in anticipation.



More than 130 details in packages and inscriptions are very reminiscent of Mendeleev's table))) Ahahaha, this is how pedantic I am
...

 

[serikoff]

This continues to be one of my favorite builds to follow. You continue to give us excellent work and excellent photos.
Allan

Thank you very much, glad to hear it!

So who cooks? I love my wife's cooking and I love to cook now and then but I sometimes think about the dishes from my mother and grandmothers like studinetz which we will never try to make on our own. Very strange, but tasty.
Allan

Surprisingly, we cook together too. Mostly healthy food. For not useful we have McDonald's (it is very tasty in Ukraine)!!

 

[serikoff]

While I was at work, figures were printed in 7 hours. Did immediately, as always, in triplicate, so for sure.



For those who are interested in 3D printing, the print settings on my Anycubic Photon M3 plus printer: 20 microns, illumination time 3.7 seconds, thin support, support contact thickness 0.35 mm. You can estimate the angle of location in the photo below.



I use water-soluble resin and before exposure, be sure to remove support and make edits (if necessary, while the resin is flexible). After illumination it will break. I light up with a nail lamp. For uniform illumination, I use a mirror.



And so, according to the result. The detail is excellent, and you can see the difference in the growth of the figures in the recalculation to the real scale.


As I wrote earlier, in England at that time the average height of sailors was 165 cm. Nelson was slightly higher. Somewhere such growth and figure (+ -158 cm). The past figure was significantly higher (in the photo on the right). With such growth, at least on small ships there was nothing to do... It was so cramped there that they would beat off their heads with beams and could not disperse years later... although, apparently, even with small stature it was cramped there... in short - paradise for someone with claustrophobia.

Below I will post a photo of the lower deck with a figurine, to understand how cramped it was!

 

[Kurt Konrath]

I guess that in those days on the lower decks it was good to be a short person of stature.

 

[serikoff]

I guess that in those days on the lower decks it was good to be a short person of stature.

Definitely... now I will post photos that clearly confirm this

 

[serikoff]

So, as promised, a photo of the lower deck with a figure up to 170 cm tall, to feel how difficult it was and cramped on small ships.

The height of the ceiling at the deepest point of the hold was so small that it was necessary to bend twice even there.



Even taking into account the fact that there was a place between the beams under the boards, it was still possible to walk along the keel with an inclination, but on the side - only on all fours.



There was no more space on the deck itself. You'll notice where the upper deck beam positions are. It turns out that on the lower deck (I'm already silent about the hold) it was impossible to stand straight (except for children).



But there were cabins, sleeping places... Yes, these are some kind of holes for moles, because there was clearly not enough light there... but we will return to this even later when I add the upper deck beams for clarity.



When a person is above the stairs, it seems that everything is not so bad...



... but when you see the same person in the opening for this staircase, you understand that it is cramped there.





But the most interesting thing is the powder magazine.



The place there is waist-deep, but not a lot, is tolerable, but you can get there through this opening along a completely useless staircase.
And clearly the smallest people on the ship served for this task.



It's hard for me to imagine how they could be in such a confined space for a long time and this is not like on battleships, where people could walk smoothly on the lower decks... it was difficult to be sure on such ships, then I take off my hat in front of these people...

... and we move on. I will be preparing the upper deck beams tomorrow, it will be interesting.

P.S. Even Nelson looks at this little window and asks, and how can he get there?!

 

[RussF]

But the most interesting thing is the powder magazine.

The place there is waist-deep, but not a lot, is tolerable, but you can get there through this opening along a completely useless staircase.
And clearly the smallest people on the ship served for this task.

A "powder monkey" is a term for a young boy, often on a sailing ship, whose job is to carry gunpowder from storage to the gun crews during battle. They were also known for being small and quick, which was helpful for navigating cramped spaces on the ship and running with the gunpowder.

 

[serikoff]

A "powder monkey" is a term for a young boy, often on a sailing ship, whose job is to carry gunpowder from storage to the gun crews during battle. They were also known for being small and quick, which was helpful for navigating cramped spaces on the ship and running with the gunpowder.

Absolutely right! A great addition to my monologue.

 

[GIG1810]

A "powder monkey" is a term for a young boy, often on a sailing ship, whose job is to carry gunpowder from storage to the gun crews during battle. They were also known for being small and quick, which was helpful for navigating cramped spaces on the ship and running with the gunpowder.

Hello my friends,

there were the so-called cannon monkeys. These were children from orphanages, runaways who ran away from home, or were sold by their parents to the Royal Navy for a few shillings. It was just awful.
Although the presence of children in the Royal Navy was widespread in the 18th century, it was a practice that came with great risk and hardship. Living conditions on board were harsh and children were often subjected to violence and abuse. It was not until the 19th century that the presence of children in the navy was increasingly criticized and restricted.

regards Günther