Here are unfortunately some diagrams for the making of the masts.
I should add that for the main mast, the lower section is just shy of 20 cm, including the lower 2 cm that descends below the deck, and the top 3.5cm which is shorn to a square shape. The middle (called the topmast) section is 14 cm and the top section (called the topgallant) is 13cm. The other masts have similar proportions but the fore mast is shorter and the mizzen shorter again.
These 'T' shaped supports are 4cm along the top and not quite 2cm tall. There is a 2cm space beteen the notchs for the matches.
The 'D' shaped platform is 6.2 wide x5cm long in dimension.
The upper join has no platform as such but a sort of cross hatch shape, 2.6 long x 3.5 cm wide
A bit more painting including on the bow sprit, which is made much like the masts, except there are only two sections and there is no platform. A mast can be seen here with the undercoat painted. Also some more canons made.
Painted the hull reddish brown blow the waterline. In reality it would have been coppered, so I may do something about that later.
Also a figurehead of Athena has been modelled in DAS clay. Also the curved grating bit between the figurehead and the hull, which is made out of carboard shapes and strips.
Looking down at the part of the gun-deck that will be visible. Some little wooden buckets added by the guns. I actually cheated and bought some dead eye rigging blocks, pulleys and barrels from ebay. You can usually find that sort of thing quite cheap. First minimal expense in the project, but gives the lie to my title. Also made a stove to sit below the chimney. And cut down the stairway there is room for a canon behind/below it. The grille seen here is a piece of corrugated cardboard pierced with the head of a compass.
A bit more painting. I worry about the excess of yellow. Red on the interior walls would be another option (to hide the blood in battle).
Oh and we have a lantern. That is made of wire and DAS clay. Drilled through the stern gallery with a very fine drill (since lost) to slot the wire though.
The fore-mast has also been started, can be seen along with the larger main mast propped behind in a paintbrush stand.
Coiled rope around the bowsprit (binding it to the top of the keel, running through a hole pierced therein. A better look at the bow structure and details.
The bowsprit wasn't straight, in that the upper section was off to the side of the lower. This was remedied by diluting the set wood glue with vinegar, which apparently works. It loosened it enough at the base to rotate it around.
More interior details with added barrels, hopefully including some rum for the crew.
The weather deck goes in, and it is starting to look pretty ship-shape.
A ladder added to the side made of card and mountboard. The gunwales now have their caps also, and card infills framing the upper gun ports. Slightly screwed up in that the deck has to nearly bend and certainly sharply curve up towards the rear. The gun ports towards the middle therefore appear too high. But it is all too well stuck down to remedy that now and I will have to live with it.
Finnished off the top of the gunwale around the front. A rudder has also appeared, did I mention? Hinges are made from card strips and cocktail stick sections.
Spot the difference... Well the mizzen has appeared in the background... Also found a diagram of knots to help with the rigging.
Catsheads (new versons complete with pulley holes and actual cat's head decorations) are added. The masts in the background are painted. The colour scheme is somewhat based on HMS Victory.
An inspection of the masts before they go in, showing the elements from the diagrams above.
And some string!
All three masts eagerly waiting to be installed.
And she has masts! Used drills slightly narrower than the width of the masts at the base to make the holes in the decks into which they slot snugly. Pegs below and liberal use of woodglue helps keep them sturdy.
The next things to add were the boards that support the dead-eyes, the circular wooden blocks with three holes in that are integral to the mast reigging. I also made the 'bits' on the deck below the masts, out of squae dowel and cut up bits of lolly-stick. Little holes were drilled along the shelf-like part of each, and pegs made from cut off bristles of a plastic hair brush pushed through. Probably merits a diagram, since I didn't get a specific photo...
These were slightly over-large for the scale, as it happend, but I'm past caring by this point... There ought to be more shelves with pegs around the insides of the bulwarks, but having lost the very fine drill bit, and having no desire to further denude my sister's hairbrush, these will have to do.
Painted the boards (undercoat). Made an anchor (which is somewhat big so I might not use it).
Dead eyes added to the boards. Attached by coiled wire, which runs through holes pierced in the boards to holes drilled in the side of the hull.
Started doing some rigging (on the triangular bits called the shrouds, but I realised the string being used was too thick to be in scale.
So I took it off..
Live and learn.
Bought some thinner black chord for the shrouds, but still thicker than the white chord used to connect the rows of deadeyes. Although I notice that on the Victory the rope is actually black and white like this, I will probably stain it all black because I don't like how the white stands out.
Oh, and I made the wooden base, out of the lid of an old pencil box. Later added some foam strips to hekp support the hull.
I finnished adding the lower shrounds only to notice that the dead eyes are actually too large and quite out of scale. I have ordered some smaller ones for the upper section, where the scale disparity would be more obvious. Whether I will go to the bother of taking out the lower ones to start again, I yet know not. (Or should that be no knot?)
