HMS Pegasus, 1776
- Thread starter orthofox
- Start date
PHArchivist
Master Member
You take your **** seriously...!
Impressed...
But...
Why not the Surprise?
Impressed...
But...
Why not the Surprise?
orthofox
Well-Known Member
Thanks so much all for your interest and apologies once again for the paucity of updates. Things at work got a bit crazy and then the washing machine decided to eat half a load of laundry (and my brand new pair of Xmas boxers) and belch out the remnants all over the laundry room in spectacular fashion a couple weeks ago. Not surprisingly, the battle that ensued between the washer and me was not nearly as fun as working on the Pegasus - and proved to be quite a bit more daunting. Long story short, I got shanghaied by a washing machine that was probably never intended to be repaired - but repair it, I have tried. At any rate - I should have an update on second planking the hull in the coming days, so stay tuned!
PHArchivist
Master Member
orthofox
Well-Known Member
Planking the hull...again.
Victory's HMS Pegasus model calls for the hull to be planked a second time. The reason for this is how the model is constructed. The first planking of the hull with the limewood strip brings the hull flush with the bulwark which is constructed from ply material. So now that the bulwarks are even with the limewood hull planks, it's time to apply a second layer of hull planking from the top of the bulwarks all the way to the keel. This layer will be fashioned from 1mm X 4mm walnut strip - so smaller stock than what was used for the 1st planking. This is good and bad. It's good because it will definitely be more pliable and easier to bend around all of the complex curves, but it's bad in that with smaller stock and the greater surface area, the number of 2nd layer hull planks will be double the number of 1st layer planks I placed.
But at least these will be seen in the end, right? Kind of. Some of them. The vast majority of the hull is ultimately covered in copper sheathing, actually and above that an additional layer of extra thick planking will be placed in one specific strip - called the wale. So maybe 15% of what I'm about to embark on will actually be visible when it's all said and done? At any rate - time to get on with it.
Once again, the instructions are devoid of a lot of specific detail regarding how to accomplish this, but I've decided to start from the top and work my way down. This topmost plank, or series of planks running fore to aft has a name: the sheer strake.
Here's a sheer strake being placed on a wooden ship temporarily secured with a number of clamps.
And here is the Pegasus undergoing the similar process affixing the sheer strake to the uppermost edge of the bulwarks.
The same process of applying the planks was used for the second layer with one major exception: No pins can be placed through the plank because I don't want to leave holes in the wood as this will all be ultimately visible. So extra time and care must be taken to soak the planks in hot water, conform them to the hull, let them take shape, and then reapply them with white glue and clamps only - no pins.
Once the sheer strake was placed, I then had a nice straight edge to continue working downward, plank by plank utilizing a variety of different clamps.
This process was continued until I hit the tops of the gun ports. I think everyone can see the tedium I am about to encounter at this point: Planking around the gun and sweep ports. Before encountering the gun ports and sweep ports, I measured and recorded the dimensions of every single one. No, they are not perfectly uniform...of course. Then, after the first strake encountered the gun ports, I just ran it right across them. After this strake was set, however, I drew on the dimensions of the ports as detailed in my measurements.
Then using a combination of an X-acto blade and some very small files, the ports were cut into the hull planking.
This definitely got more tricky around the smaller sweep ports which are about 3.5mm square, but patience and persistence paid off.
Then it's a matter of rinse and repeat, working downward, one strake at a time, first the port side and then the starboard.
I will say this - if reading this post is as exciting as watching grass grow, I can attest that placing these planks is akin to listening to it grow. Yeah - getting that sheer strake on was kind of sexy, but the appeal wore off pretty fast after that. This is some slow going, my dudes.
Next up...MORE 2nd planking!
Victory's HMS Pegasus model calls for the hull to be planked a second time. The reason for this is how the model is constructed. The first planking of the hull with the limewood strip brings the hull flush with the bulwark which is constructed from ply material. So now that the bulwarks are even with the limewood hull planks, it's time to apply a second layer of hull planking from the top of the bulwarks all the way to the keel. This layer will be fashioned from 1mm X 4mm walnut strip - so smaller stock than what was used for the 1st planking. This is good and bad. It's good because it will definitely be more pliable and easier to bend around all of the complex curves, but it's bad in that with smaller stock and the greater surface area, the number of 2nd layer hull planks will be double the number of 1st layer planks I placed.
But at least these will be seen in the end, right? Kind of. Some of them. The vast majority of the hull is ultimately covered in copper sheathing, actually and above that an additional layer of extra thick planking will be placed in one specific strip - called the wale. So maybe 15% of what I'm about to embark on will actually be visible when it's all said and done? At any rate - time to get on with it.
Once again, the instructions are devoid of a lot of specific detail regarding how to accomplish this, but I've decided to start from the top and work my way down. This topmost plank, or series of planks running fore to aft has a name: the sheer strake.
Here's a sheer strake being placed on a wooden ship temporarily secured with a number of clamps.
And here is the Pegasus undergoing the similar process affixing the sheer strake to the uppermost edge of the bulwarks.
The same process of applying the planks was used for the second layer with one major exception: No pins can be placed through the plank because I don't want to leave holes in the wood as this will all be ultimately visible. So extra time and care must be taken to soak the planks in hot water, conform them to the hull, let them take shape, and then reapply them with white glue and clamps only - no pins.
Once the sheer strake was placed, I then had a nice straight edge to continue working downward, plank by plank utilizing a variety of different clamps.
This process was continued until I hit the tops of the gun ports. I think everyone can see the tedium I am about to encounter at this point: Planking around the gun and sweep ports. Before encountering the gun ports and sweep ports, I measured and recorded the dimensions of every single one. No, they are not perfectly uniform...of course. Then, after the first strake encountered the gun ports, I just ran it right across them. After this strake was set, however, I drew on the dimensions of the ports as detailed in my measurements.
Then using a combination of an X-acto blade and some very small files, the ports were cut into the hull planking.
This definitely got more tricky around the smaller sweep ports which are about 3.5mm square, but patience and persistence paid off.
Then it's a matter of rinse and repeat, working downward, one strake at a time, first the port side and then the starboard.
I will say this - if reading this post is as exciting as watching grass grow, I can attest that placing these planks is akin to listening to it grow. Yeah - getting that sheer strake on was kind of sexy, but the appeal wore off pretty fast after that. This is some slow going, my dudes.
Next up...MORE 2nd planking!
Last edited:
patrickivan
Sr Member
Is it done yet?
Hoplitespear
Sr Member
All this stuff looks amazing! I love your writeup, if modeling doesn't workout you should write!
Keep up the good work, can't wait to see here planked and sanded.
-Hopli-
Keep up the good work, can't wait to see here planked and sanded.
-Hopli-
Constantine
Well-Known Member
Wow very nice work and an interesting process!
orthofox
Well-Known Member
Stealers and Doldrums!
Thanks so much to all for your moral support in this endeavor. It is no exaggeration to say that posting progress (or lack thereof) to a thread like this is, in itself, motivation to keep moving forward. You see, dear readers, I find myself in the doldrums. There is no wind, no rain and miles and miles of planking still ahead. I am reminded yet again of a specific scene from my inspiration, the film Master and Commander.
Captain Jack Aubrey and ship's surgeon Steven Maturin are at odds with one another over how to address an insubordinate sailor whose recent outburst was no doubt inflamed by a recent spate of stifling heat and lack of wind.
Aubrey: "The only things that keep this little wooden world together are hard work and discipline..."
Maturin: "Jack, the man failed to salute someone..."
Aubrey: "For God's sake, Steven there're hierarchies seen even in nature as you've often said yourself."
Maturin: "There's no disdain in nature, there is no humiliation..."
Aubrey: "Men MUST BE GOVERNED! Often not wisely, I will grant you but they must be governed nonetheless."
Maturin: "That's the excuse of every tyrant in history, from Nero to Bonaparte. And I for one am opposed to authority and..."
Aubrey: "Your opposition is not my concern..."
Matuin: "...misery and oppression..."
Aubrey: throwing some charts aside, "You've come to the wrong shop for anarchy, brother."
Interestingly, I've learned that the blue signal flag seen in this shot means, "The ship has stopped moving and is making no way through the water."
Oh, the irony.
I'm averaging about 2 planks an hour and am feeling my own sense of misery, oppression and readiness to mutiny. But alas - THIS is one of the reasons I selected a model this challenging and time consuming. To test my own mettle. In this way, this 1:64 scale wooden replica of the HMS Pegasus is becoming my own Moby Dick, and I her Ahab! And if that be true, then the conversation I had with my wife over Sunday dinner has confirmed that she is my Ishmael. After a day in my shop, as I sat down at the dining room table and stared across the two plates of ravioli she served for us, I placed the product of my afternoon's work between us, wooden, splotched with glue and unfinished.
Wife: "I think you are becoming obsessed."
Me: "They think me mad - Starbuck does!
Wife: "The dog's name is NOT Starbuck."
Me: "But I'm demoniac...I am madness maddened!"
Wife: "I'm going to go eat in the other room."
Ishmael: "The White Whale swam before him as the monomaniac incarnation of all those malicious agencies which some deep men feel eating in them, till they are left living on with half a heart and half a lung."
Me: "Aye. My chest does have pain - but it could be all the walnut sawdust from the plank sanding!"
(For what it's worth, I had to look up what monomaniac meant: A singular preoccupation.)
Oh, Aye, indeed...
But enough about that - how is the planking going, you are asking, or not asking, because you are bored to tears of this project already.
I am progressing...
As with the first layer of planking, I noted that toward the stern, the strakes want to separate naturally, which results in triangular voids.
This is precisely what happens in real ships as well. The solution is something called a stealer which is a wedge shaped short plank to be placed within the opening left by the strakes.
Now, purists will balk at my attempt to fashion stealers at the stern. Mine are not accurately shaped, but are rather fashioned from more simple triangular shapes of planking. To which I reply, 1) This is all going to be buried underneath copper cladding and no one will ever see it and 2) If you're a wooden ship model purist, you've no business here, so go back from where you came and let me be.
Carrying along in this fashion, by God, some progress was made, although the end is still many, many hours away.
By my calculations, I should be able to make the final push on the 2nd planking during my next session. I've got her in my sights now.
That said, I'm reminded of a quote from Patrick Ness in his book, And the Ocean was our Sky:
"For there are devils in the deep, but worst are the ones we make."
Next Up: 'Please God, Make It Stop', or 'How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Planking'.
Thanks so much to all for your moral support in this endeavor. It is no exaggeration to say that posting progress (or lack thereof) to a thread like this is, in itself, motivation to keep moving forward. You see, dear readers, I find myself in the doldrums. There is no wind, no rain and miles and miles of planking still ahead. I am reminded yet again of a specific scene from my inspiration, the film Master and Commander.
Captain Jack Aubrey and ship's surgeon Steven Maturin are at odds with one another over how to address an insubordinate sailor whose recent outburst was no doubt inflamed by a recent spate of stifling heat and lack of wind.
Aubrey: "The only things that keep this little wooden world together are hard work and discipline..."
Maturin: "Jack, the man failed to salute someone..."
Aubrey: "For God's sake, Steven there're hierarchies seen even in nature as you've often said yourself."
Maturin: "There's no disdain in nature, there is no humiliation..."
Aubrey: "Men MUST BE GOVERNED! Often not wisely, I will grant you but they must be governed nonetheless."
Maturin: "That's the excuse of every tyrant in history, from Nero to Bonaparte. And I for one am opposed to authority and..."
Aubrey: "Your opposition is not my concern..."
Matuin: "...misery and oppression..."
Aubrey: throwing some charts aside, "You've come to the wrong shop for anarchy, brother."
Interestingly, I've learned that the blue signal flag seen in this shot means, "The ship has stopped moving and is making no way through the water."
Oh, the irony.
I'm averaging about 2 planks an hour and am feeling my own sense of misery, oppression and readiness to mutiny. But alas - THIS is one of the reasons I selected a model this challenging and time consuming. To test my own mettle. In this way, this 1:64 scale wooden replica of the HMS Pegasus is becoming my own Moby Dick, and I her Ahab! And if that be true, then the conversation I had with my wife over Sunday dinner has confirmed that she is my Ishmael. After a day in my shop, as I sat down at the dining room table and stared across the two plates of ravioli she served for us, I placed the product of my afternoon's work between us, wooden, splotched with glue and unfinished.
Wife: "I think you are becoming obsessed."
Me: "They think me mad - Starbuck does!
Wife: "The dog's name is NOT Starbuck."
Me: "But I'm demoniac...I am madness maddened!"
Wife: "I'm going to go eat in the other room."
Ishmael: "The White Whale swam before him as the monomaniac incarnation of all those malicious agencies which some deep men feel eating in them, till they are left living on with half a heart and half a lung."
Me: "Aye. My chest does have pain - but it could be all the walnut sawdust from the plank sanding!"
(For what it's worth, I had to look up what monomaniac meant: A singular preoccupation.)
Oh, Aye, indeed...
But enough about that - how is the planking going, you are asking, or not asking, because you are bored to tears of this project already.
I am progressing...
As with the first layer of planking, I noted that toward the stern, the strakes want to separate naturally, which results in triangular voids.
This is precisely what happens in real ships as well. The solution is something called a stealer which is a wedge shaped short plank to be placed within the opening left by the strakes.
Now, purists will balk at my attempt to fashion stealers at the stern. Mine are not accurately shaped, but are rather fashioned from more simple triangular shapes of planking. To which I reply, 1) This is all going to be buried underneath copper cladding and no one will ever see it and 2) If you're a wooden ship model purist, you've no business here, so go back from where you came and let me be.
Carrying along in this fashion, by God, some progress was made, although the end is still many, many hours away.
By my calculations, I should be able to make the final push on the 2nd planking during my next session. I've got her in my sights now.
That said, I'm reminded of a quote from Patrick Ness in his book, And the Ocean was our Sky:
"For there are devils in the deep, but worst are the ones we make."
Next Up: 'Please God, Make It Stop', or 'How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Planking'.
Last edited:
orthofox
Well-Known Member
Mail Bag
I've received some great questions and comments in this thread so I thought I'd try something unique and address them in a post dedicated to just that purpose. (I've left out all the private messages I've received asking me if my mother dropped me on my head repeatedly as a child because, honestly, they got old after the third one.)
I deeply appreciate that. And yes, I DO take this s**t seriously. So seriously in fact that when my wife wants to come into my shop, she has to stand outside the door and say the following, "Permission to come aboard, sir?" Further, I have taken to dressing in full period-accurate 18th century British Naval Captain regalia whenever I'm working on the Pegasus.
Are you talking to me? There's nobody else here, so you MUST be talking to me...
As to why I'm not building the HMS Surprise since Master and Commander was my inspiration for this madness; I actually wanted to build the Surprise and went looking for a model of her. After much research and reading reviews of many different models, I found one that met all the criteria I was looking for: a 1:48 scale, plank-on-frame made by Artesania Latina: link. They were asking 600 Euro for this baby AND it was out of stock! So I looked around more and found out that DeAgostini had purchased the Latina model for exclusive distribution: link. The problem was that at the time I wanted to purchase it, it was out of stock there as well. So, I looked for a similar class of British naval war ship from the exact same period and happened upon the Pegasus model by Victory. One thing that I fell in love with almost immediately about this ship was that there still exist historical documents about her (including her drafting plans) despite her short life span, and I wanted to explore these in more detail. I'll discuss much of that later.
Don't make me pull this ship over, young man...
As it turns out, my wife knows absolutely nothing about modeling and absolutely everything about me not being right in the head. That said, check out what she got me for Christmas:
The tome you are looking at, entitled Building the Swan Class Sloop Pegasus 1777, The Fully Framed Model by Dr. Greg Herbert is a book dedicated to one of the greatest acts of scratch building I've ever witnessed. This book documents a 10-year journey Dr. Herbert took building a 1:48 scale replica of the HMS Pegasus piece by piece. Ten. Years. He and master modeler David Antscherl developed blueprints from the original drafting plans for literally every single piece of the Pegasus, and then constructed it from scratch.
This book photo-documents his progress in excruciating detail. At one point Dr. Herbert comments on how, after a solid year of building the individual frames, he realized that some subtle initial errors had compounded upon themselves resulting in some flaws with the hull. So he scraps the entire thing and starts over entirely. This man is a monk. This man is my Yoda.
One night, reading this book in bed, I happened upon the foreward (which no, I didn't read first like I should have) and learned that he, LIKE ME, is a veterinarian. I had a freak out and woke up Ishmael (my wife) AND Starbuck (the dog) to tell them. I got a, "That's nice, shut up, please," in response, which, you know - was fair since it was like 2:00 AM. The next day, I reached out to Dr. Herbert and we've been corresponding via email since. He has been incredibly gracious. He and Mr. Antscherl have their own company called Admiralty Models.
All of this is to say - Ishmael is like the greatest wife a guy could have for supporting this new found obsession. And Dr. Herbert is amazing in being so generous with his time. I'll be referring to his book extensively in the coming posts as he has accurate dimensions for top-side details on the deck which I will be modifying for accuracy. If you are interested in building the Pegasus, his book is absolutely essential reading.
You left out the periodic moments of contracting into the fetal position, but other than that - yeah, you nailed it.
Next up: Oh my God, I see progress...
I've received some great questions and comments in this thread so I thought I'd try something unique and address them in a post dedicated to just that purpose. (I've left out all the private messages I've received asking me if my mother dropped me on my head repeatedly as a child because, honestly, they got old after the third one.)
I deeply appreciate that. And yes, I DO take this s**t seriously. So seriously in fact that when my wife wants to come into my shop, she has to stand outside the door and say the following, "Permission to come aboard, sir?" Further, I have taken to dressing in full period-accurate 18th century British Naval Captain regalia whenever I'm working on the Pegasus.
Are you talking to me? There's nobody else here, so you MUST be talking to me...
As to why I'm not building the HMS Surprise since Master and Commander was my inspiration for this madness; I actually wanted to build the Surprise and went looking for a model of her. After much research and reading reviews of many different models, I found one that met all the criteria I was looking for: a 1:48 scale, plank-on-frame made by Artesania Latina: link. They were asking 600 Euro for this baby AND it was out of stock! So I looked around more and found out that DeAgostini had purchased the Latina model for exclusive distribution: link. The problem was that at the time I wanted to purchase it, it was out of stock there as well. So, I looked for a similar class of British naval war ship from the exact same period and happened upon the Pegasus model by Victory. One thing that I fell in love with almost immediately about this ship was that there still exist historical documents about her (including her drafting plans) despite her short life span, and I wanted to explore these in more detail. I'll discuss much of that later.
Is it done yet?
Don't make me pull this ship over, young man...
As it turns out, my wife knows absolutely nothing about modeling and absolutely everything about me not being right in the head. That said, check out what she got me for Christmas:
The tome you are looking at, entitled Building the Swan Class Sloop Pegasus 1777, The Fully Framed Model by Dr. Greg Herbert is a book dedicated to one of the greatest acts of scratch building I've ever witnessed. This book documents a 10-year journey Dr. Herbert took building a 1:48 scale replica of the HMS Pegasus piece by piece. Ten. Years. He and master modeler David Antscherl developed blueprints from the original drafting plans for literally every single piece of the Pegasus, and then constructed it from scratch.
This book photo-documents his progress in excruciating detail. At one point Dr. Herbert comments on how, after a solid year of building the individual frames, he realized that some subtle initial errors had compounded upon themselves resulting in some flaws with the hull. So he scraps the entire thing and starts over entirely. This man is a monk. This man is my Yoda.
One night, reading this book in bed, I happened upon the foreward (which no, I didn't read first like I should have) and learned that he, LIKE ME, is a veterinarian. I had a freak out and woke up Ishmael (my wife) AND Starbuck (the dog) to tell them. I got a, "That's nice, shut up, please," in response, which, you know - was fair since it was like 2:00 AM. The next day, I reached out to Dr. Herbert and we've been corresponding via email since. He has been incredibly gracious. He and Mr. Antscherl have their own company called Admiralty Models.
All of this is to say - Ishmael is like the greatest wife a guy could have for supporting this new found obsession. And Dr. Herbert is amazing in being so generous with his time. I'll be referring to his book extensively in the coming posts as he has accurate dimensions for top-side details on the deck which I will be modifying for accuracy. If you are interested in building the Pegasus, his book is absolutely essential reading.
You left out the periodic moments of contracting into the fetal position, but other than that - yeah, you nailed it.
Next up: Oh my God, I see progress...
Last edited:
orthofox
Well-Known Member
One small step for Pegasus, one giant leap for my morale.
Having planked the outside of the bulwarks I could now remove the uppermost portion of frames #5, 6 and 7 along the waist of the Pegasus. This may seem like a tiny moment, but has been one I've really been looking forward to.
You can see in this photo that the deck also features some finished hatches which I've not discussed yet, but will in a future installment.
With the upper frame extensions gone, the full extent of remaining deck planking to be completed can be seen.
The 4-butt shifting pattern was continued all the way to the perimeter, with the last plank (also known as the waterway) trimmed to fit the arced outside line of the bulwark.
The deck was then painted with two thin coats of polyurethane to seal it.
Next up were the final walnut strakes to the hull. In the long run, it's not much, but it sure felt good to place them and get the entire hull sanded down as smooth and as shapely as I could make her.
There is still much work to do on the exterior of the hull, and my planking days are long from finished. I need to plank the interior of the bullwarks along the ship's waist next. And after that I need to add something called the 'wale' which is a belt of three black planks to the exterior. Further, I need to decide if and how to treat the exterior. Do I stain it? Oil it? Polyurethane it? Leave it alone entirely? I need to do a bit more research and see what is in vogue for such things. But at the end of the last building session, I could finally put her in her cradle and have her fit tight, knowing that the long days of trimming, soaking, bending and gluing a seemingly endless sea of strakes is behind me.
Post Script: After completing the 2nd planking of the hull exterior, I may have tucked little Pegasus under my arm like a football and carried her around the house for a couple hours, holding her up to the various light coming through different windows or from different lamps, looking at her and rubbing her sweet smooth lines. Ishmael asked me if I was going to bring her to bed with us that night. I'm not saying I did, but I'm also not saying that she didn't look warm and cozy resting on a velvet pillow on the nightstand by our bed the next morning...
https://flic.kr/p/SGYvQN
Next up: Getting our RED on!
Having planked the outside of the bulwarks I could now remove the uppermost portion of frames #5, 6 and 7 along the waist of the Pegasus. This may seem like a tiny moment, but has been one I've really been looking forward to.
You can see in this photo that the deck also features some finished hatches which I've not discussed yet, but will in a future installment.
With the upper frame extensions gone, the full extent of remaining deck planking to be completed can be seen.
The 4-butt shifting pattern was continued all the way to the perimeter, with the last plank (also known as the waterway) trimmed to fit the arced outside line of the bulwark.
The deck was then painted with two thin coats of polyurethane to seal it.
Next up were the final walnut strakes to the hull. In the long run, it's not much, but it sure felt good to place them and get the entire hull sanded down as smooth and as shapely as I could make her.
There is still much work to do on the exterior of the hull, and my planking days are long from finished. I need to plank the interior of the bullwarks along the ship's waist next. And after that I need to add something called the 'wale' which is a belt of three black planks to the exterior. Further, I need to decide if and how to treat the exterior. Do I stain it? Oil it? Polyurethane it? Leave it alone entirely? I need to do a bit more research and see what is in vogue for such things. But at the end of the last building session, I could finally put her in her cradle and have her fit tight, knowing that the long days of trimming, soaking, bending and gluing a seemingly endless sea of strakes is behind me.
Post Script: After completing the 2nd planking of the hull exterior, I may have tucked little Pegasus under my arm like a football and carried her around the house for a couple hours, holding her up to the various light coming through different windows or from different lamps, looking at her and rubbing her sweet smooth lines. Ishmael asked me if I was going to bring her to bed with us that night. I'm not saying I did, but I'm also not saying that she didn't look warm and cozy resting on a velvet pillow on the nightstand by our bed the next morning...
https://flic.kr/p/SGYvQN
Next up: Getting our RED on!
Last edited:
