Sovereign of The Seas 1637 - Heavily modified Mantua kit

After a leave of absence from this forum, I am returning to the bench to resume working on my Sovereign. Life in the form of a new granddaughter happened late last summer and this event changed our schedule in a big way. Many trips to my daughter's place, a two hour trip one way, curtailed my ship modeling activity. I painted several rooms in my daughter's home and we spent quality time with the new arrival. Now that things have settled down into a pattern, there is more time available for myself.

I missed the activity on this forum while away.

It is good to be back and I hope to post some new photos later today of deck rail work on the mizzen deck.

Regards,
Bill
 
Well, I have not been posting in the forum much of late. Too many other things going on. New job at hand. Some family issues. Enough excuses.

I had been reading and following your forum, just not commenting. Shame on me. This morning, I decided it was time to end my silence on building threads.

You are a true artisan and deserve all the compliments you can accumulate. Beautiful work sir. A mans legacy is in the details.

Dave
Seattle
 
The following photos show the addition of the upper railing on the mizzen deck. It is fabricated from Mansonia, African Walnut, and is on a base of Boxwood.

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More to follow..............

Bill
 
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I have now used over 3 hours reading thru this log and i have to say this is almost life changing when it comes to shipmodeling.
I saw the last post and thought i should read the log from the beginning. Your carving is absolutely stunning! (I will definitely buy your pdf book)
But the carvings isnt the only thing that comfort my brain and inspire. Your research is very sophisticated and something i could only dreamed of. I usually just google the stuff and if i cant find anything, then my research is done. But your research and log inspire me to learn more about history of the ships i will make. I tried to search for "His Majesty's Royal Ship thomas heywood.. and so on" but it had a price tag of 2000$ . Thats out of my comfort zone on money spent on a book. But i will check your other resources you used as its very interesting reading. I never really thought of or studied carvings before, but it was very nice to read what all the carvings actually was and meant. I could say and ask so much more! But i will leave it there and save it for later. Truly amazing buildlog!
 
I'm in total awe too and will purchase the PDF as soon as the bank recovers from my latest splurge on tools. Wood carving has interested me for a while but never had the courage to give it a go. The craftmanship in this log is stunning, a true work of art, inspiring and amazing.
 
Frankberge said:
I have now used over 3 hours reading thru this log and i have to say this is almost life changing when it comes to shipmodeling.
I saw the last post and thought i should read the log from the beginning. Your carving is absolutely stunning! (I will definitely buy your pdf book)
But the carvings isnt the only thing that comfort my brain and inspire. Your research is very sophisticated and something i could only dreamed of. I usually just google the stuff and if i cant find anything, then my research is done. But your research and log inspire me to learn more about history of the ships i will make. I tried to search for "His Majesty's Royal Ship thomas heywood.. and so on" but it had a price tag of 2000$ . Thats out of my comfort zone on money spent on a book. But i will check your other resources you used as its very interesting reading. I never really thought of or studied carvings before, but it was very nice to read what all the carvings actually was and meant. I could say and ask so much more! But i will leave it there and save it for later. Truly amazing buildlog!
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Thank you for taking the time to read through this thread. It is intended to be an incentive to others to look at the rich history of the ships we model and to pass on as much of the skills I have learned to assist others as other modellers have done for me, paying it forward. Thank you for considering the purchase of my book.

Regards,
Bill
 
GemmaJF said:
I'm in total awe too and will purchase the PDF as soon as the bank recovers from my latest splurge on tools. Wood carving has interested me for a while but never had the courage to give it a go. The craftmanship in this log is stunning, a true work of art, inspiring and amazing.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your comments and for considering the purchase of my book. Carving is a lot of fun and can be very rewarding. Be sure to check out the Carving section on this forum and see the amazing carvings by Janos.

Regards,
Bill
 
Bill, I am left handed. So as they say, I am right minded. :D does that mean I should be a natural?
I have, on several occasions followed janos thread. He is extremely gifted.

Dave
Seattle
 
Bill, I am left handed. So, as they say of left handed people...we are in our right mind! :D Does that mean I should be a natural!
I have watched janos thread on many occasions. He is truly gifted!

Dave
Seattle
 
I finally got around to finishing the railing detail on the beakhead this morning. Three boxwood strips complete the enclosure of the beak area.

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More to follow........
Regards,
Bill
 
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This morning I fabricated strips of Boxwood to section off the sides of the beak head ready for the carvings that follow. This pic shows the starboard view. The port side is fitted with the same sections.

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More to follow..........
Bill
 
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eric61 said:
Bill, what are the sizes of the cross strips on the beak-head? I like your rendition rather that gratings.
Regards
Eric
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Thanks for your comments Eric. The cross pieces on the beak are 2 mm in width which is about 6-7 inches in scale. It was my guess as to what size they might have been. I took guidance from the Vasa of 1628 which had a similar beak structure and was close to the time of the Sovereign build.

I sure wish I had a time machine to go back and take a look at her up close as there are not a lot of visual aids left for us to follow with regard to this ship. On the other hand, no-one can dispute my depiction as long as it is reasonably true to building standards of the day.

Regards,
Bill
 
This photo shows a Boxwood blank being carved that will go between the beak and the main hull and cover up the joints currently showing in that location. It is on the port side and will have a twin for the starboard side.

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More to follow.............

Bill
 
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Wow. Ik am bussy with my first boat but this is a level in hope tot reach one Day. The carving is amazing! !! Great built. My ship fell out of the clam and table so i have to repair a lot. But That is a good Way tot learn. Great piece of art Your boat!
 
Well, I have made it to page 9 of my build replacing photographs. It has been a tedious job but the end is in sight. Hopefully in a day or two I will be caught up to page 14. In the meantime, the bench is silent.

Regards,
Bill
 
Hi Bill

If we all look at our build logs and can fix them, great.

Cheers
Geoff
 
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