Black Seas L'Orient build

[ErikB]

Wow, fantastic work!

Regarding those threads, do you tie a knot, cut off the spare thread, and paint black so the loop blends in?  Is that how you do it?

I'm tempted to try one or two of these ships, myself.  The threads look like the most intimidating part....

[Ray Rivers]

Fine handiwork Ray. I think the end product is going to look spectacular.

Hope so! Some of the hardest stuff like the sails are yet to come.

Wow, fantastic work!

Regarding those threads, do you tie a knot, cut off the spare thread, and paint black so the loop blends in?  Is that how you do it?

Thanks Erik!

As far as the knots... yes that is exactly how I do it. For example, if you look at the spars, what I did there was make a loop close to where I wanted the nylon to go. I then put super glue around the mast in the exact position I wanted, and then pulled the loop down into position and pulled it tight (no knot). When it was dry, I then took each side of the nylon and went to the tip of the spar and tied it there with a normal knot (with the knot being on top like a pulley) and then applied super glue. I immediately cut the excess off with a facial scissor right next to the knot so that there would not be a little piece of thread sticking out. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. But that was the technique and the scissors look like this:



After, I painted the knot black and the rest a brownish color. If you look at paintings of these ships, there are pulleys everywhere, so having a small knot is no big deal. The problem is when you get too many knots in the same place, and then it starts to look a bit weird. Nylon gives you a much smaller knot then sewing thread, so if it is necessary to have a couple knots in the same place, it won't look so awkward.

[ErikB]

Oh, you knotty boy....

[Ray Rivers]

Well or well...

So I found that the metal masts of the ship are too soft to use nylon. 

So sewing thread it is. Here is a shot of the ship after rigging the bowsprit and foremast with the mainmast in place (and awaiting a bit more paint):



As a an aside... I thought mounting the masts would be difficult because the entry hole was larger than the mast itself. I drilled a bit of hole into the ship so that the mast could actually be mounted. However, when I added super glue to the mast and sunk it into position, it filled nicely and there was no problem getting the mast securely in place.

Next photo will probably be with the all the masts in place and their associated standing rigging as well.

Cheers

[ErikB]

I haven't tried it but apparently this stuff does not go limp over time like thread does.  Maybe it will be useful to you.

[Ray Rivers]

I paint the thread. But it immediately went a bit limp. So in the future I will paint the thread just before tying it off.

Having said that... I very well might check out that EZ line of yours. Looks very interesting.

Thanks (again)! 

Note: This is all a trial run for my Victory model. I want to find out all the little problems you run into making these ships now so that when I do the Victory and, most likely, the Santisima Trinidad, I will know what to do to get the best result.

Edit: here is a link to Berkshire Junction (makers of EZ line):

http://berkshirejunction.com/subdirectory/

They only serve the US but there are also listed supplies around the world (buy outside of US) such as the UK and Australia.

[Captain Blood]

Looking blinking excellent Ray

It's going to take a while to build a whole fleet though   

[Ray Rivers]

Looking blinking excellent Ray

It's going to take a while to build a whole fleet though   

Thanks, Richard!

At most, I plan to do the named first rates and maybe a set of 3 plastic third rates to escort them. They are destined for the display case and not the gaming table.

[Malamute]

 Looking great Ray, well worth all the extra effort

[Ray Rivers]

Thanks mate!

The rigging is driving me crazy... 

[Ray Rivers]

It's coming though...

All the masts are up and most of the standing rigging is in place.



As I stated, this is a practice run for the Victory. If you look at the rigging between the bowsprit and the foremast, the lower most line (4th from the top) should have been placed a bit lower on the bowsprit. That will get fixed on the Victory, but it is fine for the L'Orient.

[Shahbahraz]

Looks magnificent, lovely job Ray. Your patience and attention to detail has really paid off.

[Ray Rivers]

Thanks, mate!

Well... there was a lot to learn, so patience was just something I needed to have.

With luck, the Victory will go much faster.

[gamer Mac]

looks great I take it you still have to attach the sails?

[Captain Blood]

What a lovely little model. Beautifully done. Well done Ray