Guns And Deadeyes

Hello,

I managed to work a bit tonight on finishing the guns for the lower deck. You can see them in the next pictures. Because the kit producer forgot to add in the box everything needed to build the guns I ended up looking around the house for things that might be useful. The toothpicks looked liked perfect candidates for the gun support. They were however a bit thick, so I had to sand them. Fortunately, the drill machine was around and helped making the job easier and faster. After some painting, this how the guns look like.

The weight is a bit unbalanced, but this is nothing that some glue and well placed spacers won't fix. So the next step was to measure the angles they will have on the model and then glue them in the right position. See for yourselves the result.

 This is how it might look on the model itself. For the lower deck guns, I will not add any rigging. But I am considering (and researching) this for the upper deck guns.

The captain considered that the gun inspection will better be left on the main gunner shoulders, so there we are. The client seems delighted with the results. The sword is there just to make the seagulls go away, don't let yourselves fooled.

Next I had a try on the deadeyes. They will support the masts. I decided to document a step by step approach, so there we go. First step was of course document myself a bit. There are quite a few ways to attach them on the real ships depending on the period type of the ship and who built it. Then there are even more ways that modelers can use to represent this on a smaller scale.

The kit contained chains to attach them on the hull. And the research confirmed that the chains will fit for the Black Pearl. Having the raw materials and the right tools available, I started the work.

And the final result, after some measuring, cutting and fitting. I still have to solder the loose ends and find a way to paint them (most probably the gold brass color will not really fit with the brown hull, but who knows...).

And this is how it looks attached to the hull. Seems nice, maybe I will not need to paint them after all, but I will decide this after soldering.

Good news, one is almost done, only 39 more to go.

That's it for tonight, see you the next days with more details.

The Pearl Has A Nose Now

Hello,

And welcome back! Yes, the title is right, the Black (or Brown) Pearl has now a nose. I have started to work on the masts and the bowsprit was the first. You can admire the Pearl with her new nose in the next pictures.

Painted but not yet Varnished

Hi All,

It has been some time since the last post. I was not exactly lazy, but I did not had so much time as I would have liked it for the Pearl.

Anyway, the Pearl visited the beauty saloon in the mean while. Almost the complete deck is populated now and all the small details that have to be attached to the body are glued now. So, it was time to do some painting.

As you can see in the pictures it got a brownish tint. I am still considering using a very washed black on it. It should just darken it a bit more and get bigger contrast on the body.

More Details Added

Hi All,

As a famous celebrity used to say: I'm back!
The pearl was sanded and more details were glued on it. It starts to look really beautiful (as you will see in the next pictures).

The stairs are now completed. I could have done a better job here, but I am content with the first try. I have learned what to do and what not to do when building them.

Preparing For Staining

Hi All,

In the last days I have prepared the Pearl's body for the last decorations and attachments that have to be fitted on before staining and varnishing. You can see in the below pictures how it looks like.

Here you can see some of the places where the running rigging will be fitted. In case you do not know, rigging consists on mostly two parts: the standing rigging (used mostly to keep the parts in place) and the running rigging (used for the sails and other moving parts).

More Work On Deck And Painting

Hello and Welcome!

Here are some updates with what happened with the Pearl in the last two days. Check the pictures below and let me know what you think.

The back tower roof got painted with dark brown (mixed with 2 parts water). It looks pretty good, so i think it will stay like this. Might be that the Black Pearl will end up as a Brown Pearl (as my girlfriend noticed :-) ).

The Pearl is now dressed!

Hi All,

Today it happened! The Pearl is now fully planked (or dressed as in the title).

Check it out in the next pictures!

Planking Finish Closing In!

Hi All,

Good news, I'm back! The ski resort was great and i had a great time playing in the snow. Then the new year started and the weather was not very skiing  friendly, so I had some time to work a bit more on the Pearl.