I made these Steps out of a 3mm x 3mm Manzonia wood. I had to cut it into a triangular and then hollow it out with my Dremel and a cylindrical bit.
The Steps are 11mm long with 11 per side.
As usual, I used Contact Cement and CA Glue.
Also, chopping the wood, I used my Xacto and pressed it down really hard.
I’m not too worried about the Ladders being exact. I’m sure in a working ship, those Ladders were constantly being battered and always had to be maintained and replaced.
I was looking at the Bulwarks on each side and they both have this slight bend. I’m soaking the Rails so that I can clamp it into place to bend it.
I’m a little annoyed with my miscalculation, but really, it’s no biggy. 🤔🙄
The Contact Cement is great for grabbing and holding. Just long enough to dribble CA Glue in the seams to harden it. I love this Combo!
Preparing the Rails for gluing. First I cut out these notches up forward so that the Beakheads will fit into them.
I soaked this Bendable Beech for almost 24 Hours. Probably didn’t need to go that long.
Anyway, I used my Iron and carefully heated while bending the rail around the Jig with a lateral bend.
I ordered some special wood from Australia. I ordered it from Modeler’s Central. It’s called Bendable Beach. I’m going to make the bend laterally, which this wood is the only one capable of bending like that without breaking!
This is some painstaking work making these Tiny Bitts…
The Pieces the kit gives you are these 4×4 Mansonia pieces which I have to round out the bottom and use a Razor Blade and File to shape into the Bitts.
The Bottom is what they gave me.
I first used a Square File and rounded the square to a small dowel.
Once you Razor in around 1.5mm from the bottom, you Razor in from the top down at a slight angle, holding it with some Parallel Grip Pliers at an angle and use the X-Acto like a Plane and slice down being careful to stop as you approach the Razored in line…
At least this Manzoni Wood is pretty strong for the Bitts.
Can you believe that the Kit gave you only EXACTLY 34 3x4x15mm pre rough cut pieces?!?!!!! .. I’m surprised they didn’t just give you a piece of 3x4mm and tell you to cut your own pieces!!! .. 🤔🙄😲
I’ve had to keep making new ones. It has taken me nearly 2 weeks to make 34 of them I am ashamed to say!!! .. I keep striving to have them even!!! .. 🤔🙄😲
I’m just using the .5x3mm Walnut Planking for the Taffails.
I’m just using Contact Cement.
Minwax Colonial Maple 223 for the Stain. To match the Hull which I will leave as natural Wood.
I’m currently soaking the 2x7mm Mazsonia Wood that is the Rail for the Main Deck.
After installing the Chain-Wales, they kind of got in the way of Tracing..
I soaked the wood a few hours in Ammonia and Water.
Here I’m essentially doing a Third Planking because I screwed up with the Gun Ports!!! .. I DO like the cleaner look though… 🙄🤔👍
I’m telling myself that the HM Bark Endeavor was well reinforced for the Antarctic / Arctic conditions…
I have a sliver of a gap from the last Plank to the Wale. It’s barely perceptible so I’m just going to leave it… 🙄🤔
That sliver isn’t worth it… Yet… It will drive me crazy until I fix it!!! .. 🙄🤔😲
