Category Archives: HMS Endeavor

HMS Endeavor Royal Bark

Gun Port Hatches

Here I’m making the Gun Port Hatches. There are 6 of them around the level of the Upper Rubbing Strakes.

1x2mm Bokapi

Bokapi Wood looks very similar to Mahogany to me… 🤔🙄

I am gluing the Bokapi to a strip of flat basswood I had to glue together to come out to 12mm. I’m just using White Glue and finger pressing them tight until all the glue squeezes out and I wipe it off with a damp paper towel.

Hatches and Channels

Gun Ports

First Gun Port

My first Gun Port. I figured I better cut all of these out before I do the Painting.

The Gun Port itself is 12x12mm.

For the Gun Port Doors, I’m making some. This kit didn’t really provide the adequate parts so I had to make my own out of spare Lumber that I have.

Making Gun Port Doors
X-Acto with #24 Blade

X-Acto #24 Precision Blades is my main tool for this. I carefully push it into the wood. Unfortunately for this first Door, I went right into a Bulkhead!!! .. 🤔🙄😲

As you can see, I used some Masking Tape, which I cut right through! ..

Starboard side
Marking it out

I’m really annoyed with myself that I accidentally made the 4 Stern most Gun Ports too big. They are supposed to be 10mm Square and I made them 12mm Square and 13 in one case!!! .. Why did I do that???!!! .. Fuck if I know!!! .. 🤔🙄😲

So annoyed with myself!!!

The 2 Forward most Gun Ports are 10mm Square though.

Port side is correct… I screwed up on the Starboard side but I am not going to mention it because it will be barely noticeable…

Stern Gallery Planking

The Instructions called for 1.5x2mm Bokapi Planks for the Gallery Planking but I decided to use some spare .5x5mm Walnut Planks which I had lying around which I used my mini Table Saw to cut down to 2.5mm.

Sanding down the Gallery

I’m using some .5x5mm Walnut Planks which I cut down to 2.5mm. 🤔🙄

I also used Contact Cement.

Going up between Windows

I had to put those .5mm Strips inside the Windows to bring out the Windows more than they were.

Middle Window

I ended up cracking in two the Center Window as I was trying to fit it in the middle slot…

Priming

Wale Port

I had the Walnut Wood Strips 1.5 x 3mm soaking in Water + Glycerin for almost 24 hours. I had no problem bending it.

Form Shaping

These DeWalt Clamps only go so deep. The Wale will be down below the Sapelle Wood.

Port side
Bow
All the Wale pre-bent
Painting on some Primer
First Wale in

I used Contact Cement and in some spots SuperGlue.

I added SuperGlue on the very end
Port side done
Stern

Yeah… I put another coat of Black paint on it…

2nd Coat

I always feel like an Able Bodies Seaman sitting in a Bosun’s Chair while painting over the dings in the Wale up some river in England… 🙄🤔

2nd Planking Top Hull / Bulwarks

Top part of Hull Port

I finally got the .5 x 4mm Tanganyika Wood that I ordered from Model Expo. Seems like it took forever! .. At least I bent some Wale while waiting…

Anyway… Here’s my Tanganyika…

Tanganyika and bent Wale
Starboard side done

I also trimmed all the excess Planks that peeked over the Bulwarks with my Ibex Plane.

By the way, the distressed wood is intentional…

Waiting for Tanganyika Wood

I haven’t Posted much because I am currently stalled while I wait for the UPS to arrive from Model Expo from whom I ordered a bunch of Tanganyika Wood.

I ran out of the .5 x 3mm Tanganyika Wood. Had to order some more… I swear, after I ordered it, it sat at “Processing” for nearly 3 Days until I got totally frustrated and wrote ol’ J Garcia at Model Expo an Email asking him “WTF?!?!!!!…” FINALLY, they shipped it and I’ve been checking UPS Tracking like 3 times per day, but it’s STILL “On the Way…”

I suppose I can soak and bend the 1.5 x 3mm Walnut for the Wale.

Lower Gallery / Transom

Filled in Gap with Plastic Wood

I had to order some more .5 x 3mm Tanganyika to finish the Upper Hull so I decided to work on the Gallery while I’m waiting.

The first thing I had to do was to open up the Hole a lot bigger for the Rudder Post to go into.

Then, I filled in the Gap with some Plastic Wood so that I can Plank it with some 1.5 x 2mm Walnut.

Planking Transom

I am using 1.5 x 3mm Walnut Wood for the Transom Planking. The kit specified 1.5 x 2mm but the Wood they provided was less than desirable! .. 😫🙄😲

I am using White Glue to glue the Planks. No Clamps.

N

Planks overlapped

This is Pre-Sanding…