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"Fin de la Guerre"- A floating battery and maybe even an ironclad from 1585

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Andrew Gorman

Mon May 16 2016, 11:54pm

Registered Member #4767

Joined: Sat Apr 16 2016, 06:49pm
Posts: 61

With some time working away from home I decided it's time to build a model ship again- I've been spending a lot of time on full size projects lately and have been feeling the need to build something small. In one of those library stacks/flipping through the internet moments I tripped over the Fin de la Guerre:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fin_de_la_guerre
Goofy and unsuccessful as it is, I got kind of obsessed. Right off, I thought the hull looks like any number of squat rounded Dutch small craft-Tjotters,Friesjachts, Boeirs, Lemsteraaks and Bilanders. I started playing with plans and lost some time trying to make it work with a Lemsteraak hull which turned out to be have the wrong beam to length ratio (too darn skinny!). Also, the Fin had a pronounced taper to the stern the square lemsteraak did not have. Poking around on the web I finally found a set of lines that look right to me:
http://www.geheugenvannederland.nl/?/nl/items/FSM01:1999-183
There are going to be a lot of adjustments made, but I have the hull parts drawn out in something like 1/80 scale, based on the people in the engraving. I packed along a Proxxxon bench saw and a jewelers saw so I should be able to start cutting wood soon. These plans have 7 or 8 cross sections/bulkheads to be that are all within 2mm of the same size- I am going to get them as close as possible but not obsess over them and take care of any problems when I bevel the bulkheads- let me know if I am making a terrible mistake! I'm having fun with this so far and pictures will be coming soon. If any one reading this is obsessed with the 80 years war, I could use a guide .

Andrew Gorman

Sun Jun 05 2016, 10:49pm

Registered Member #4767

Joined: Sat Apr 16 2016, 06:49pm
Posts: 61

Progress! I haven't had as much productive time in the motel as I'd hoped- just working too much. I had to decide how to form the deck and modify the boeier a bit, but I finally have the backbone cut out and the bulkheads drawn. I'm keeping my drawings to 11X17 just for ease of scanning and printing. I had two prints of the ship blown up to full model size at the local copy shop-expensive, but worthwhile to me. Expensive enough I would rather not go oversize if I can avoid it.
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g72/gormanao/Fin%20de%20la%20Guerre/Fin%20Plans_zpsv8k8polw.jpg

Andrew Gorman

Mon Jul 18 2016, 01:31am

Registered Member #4767

Joined: Sat Apr 16 2016, 06:49pm
Posts: 61

The motel project quickly turned into 6 or 7 12 hour days a week at work, leaving not much time for modeling. But I am unexpectedly back home for a while and things are coming together

The beamy, barge like hull of the Boeir is starting to become obvious. I made a few learning experience errrors -
I don't really like Basswood because of the fuzz, but I had some on hand.
I somehow mis-numbered several of the bulkheads and glued them in the wrong position- a little methanol took care of that problem. It does a great job on softening wood glue. Don't use wood glue to tack together parts that will later be separated- the glue stick worked just fine for that!
And I broke a couple of the single thickness basswood parts, but they were easily repaired.
I did not like the buzzy, cheap scroll saw I started to use. A big, heavy 25 year old cast iron Grizzly scroll saw showed up for cheap on craigslist near the beach, so off we went. It is MUCH nicer to use!
Things I see coming up:
Filler blocks, and lots of them. There are some pretty extreme curves.
Final adjustments on the deck supports to eliminate lumps, bumps and waviness. I was planning on using some 1mm veneer for the subdeck. Would something thicker make the illusion of flatness easier to accomplish?

[ Edited Sun Jul 31 2016, 06:25am ]

Donald Wilson

Mon Aug 08 2016, 06:53pm

Registered Member #4806

Joined: Sun Jul 24 2016, 05:41pm
Posts: 96

Hi
unusual construction when using false keel.....
Coming on though.....☺

Andrew Gorman

Tue Aug 09 2016, 04:16pm

Registered Member #4767

Joined: Sat Apr 16 2016, 06:49pm
Posts: 61

It is coming together- false deck is installed and mast steps are going in. I am going to reconfigure the above-deck bulkheads. First, most of them broke off and second I wasn't that happy with the shape. I went for the half-bulkheads because I could trust myself to cut a square and tre edge- was not sure about two matching square and true slots.

Donald Wilson

Tue Aug 09 2016, 04:43pm

Registered Member #4806

Joined: Sun Jul 24 2016, 05:41pm
Posts: 96

Main thing is you are making progress ☺

Andrew Gorman

Tue Sep 06 2016, 12:43am

Registered Member #4767

Joined: Sat Apr 16 2016, 06:49pm
Posts: 61

More progress- as usual, work close to home entails hours that would be illegal in the EU, but I have had some time to redo the tumblehome supports, bend, and install the prominent upper wales. The wood I finally used was (I think...) Maple, and at 3X5 mm it bent very well with heat alone from a curling iron. The next wale is only 3X3mm so it should go a little easier. I can't find my round drawplate so have been making treenails by drilling wood or bamboo toothpicks into a rusty drill gauge I found in an abandoned building. This is working well down to a #50 drill, but usually results in flying or twisted, fibrous rope-like rods between #51 and #56. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? (ancient joke- "Practice, practice, practice!)

ALL of this would be going together a lot easier If I had drawn up a decent set of plans in advance. But, I don't know how to draw up a decent set of plans. I've assembled a few kits, but learning how the real ships were put together has been a huge help in figuring out how this little model should go together. Although the cheap Dover reprints of Charles G. Davis' books (The Built up Ship Model and The Ship Model Builders Assistant) seem to have fallen out of favor, after a second reading I've found them very helpful. This is some pretty arcane stuff to wrap my brain around. I see a third reading of some sections coming up in the future.
And wood... The Hevea I sliced into planks does not respnd well to bending soaked in water at 5X5mm- instead swelling a little and getting very splintery and fibrous. Hopefully it will work OK as planking. Mr. Davis reccomended oak at about that size but it had the same problem. or I need more practice.

For the deck planking I'm thinking of using coffee stirrers - dirt cheap birch, 6X18X1mm once you square the ends off. This would be 18 to 20 inches wide at 1/72 to 1/87 scale. Is this too wide for Western Europe in 1585? I am thinking that for this application it just doesn't matter. More news as it happens!

Andrew Gorman

Wed Nov 02 2016, 07:05pm

Registered Member #4767

Joined: Sat Apr 16 2016, 06:49pm
Posts: 61

Made some progress on the deck and bulwarks, and getting things a little more symmetrical through shimming and sanding. I used birch coffee stirrers for the planks- dirt cheap, even if 15% or so are un-useable at full length due to a kink or bend. Caulking is just black crayon. I started with a pretty tight pattern in the middle of the deck, but decided I liked a more random look better and aswitched over. The fort will cover most of the deck so the effect shouldn't be too jarring. Now I'm planning the planking which should be interesting given the curvy hull. I've been looking at a lot of Dutch yacht restoration sites- they usually use wide planks, fire bending, and weights to horse the wood into some pretty extreme shapes. This project has been a great excuse to research some pretty arcane subjects!
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g72/gormanao/Fin%20bulwarks_zpsrdeprlmw.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g72/gormanao/Fin%20Deck_zpspyojlbfb.jpg

Andrew Gorman

Wed Nov 09 2016, 02:41am

Registered Member #4767

Joined: Sat Apr 16 2016, 06:49pm
Posts: 61

I got the first layer of planking on. It was a challenge, and "mistakes were made". On the whole, it went on pretty well and I learned more about planking in the process. Shorter and narrower strip wood seemed to help. I let some planks go where they wanted to in the mistaken belief that they knew better. That needed to be rectified but no big deal. I did run into a problem with my bulkheads- one at a pretty extreme curve in the bow was just a bit too low, resulting in a scow like flat section. I think the best solution is to add a 3mm or so piece of flat wood to this area and fair it in by eye. Any other suggestions?
Scow Bow to the right:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g72/gormanao/hull%20planks%20layer%201_zpsaiqpaiya.jpg