Continental Gunboat PHILADELPHIA by Chuck Seiler - Model Shipways - 1:24 Scale - Enhanced

[Chuck Seiler]

I believe that is where I got mine.  I also got wipe on, but I like the spray on better.

 

Only trick is to apply it like spray paint.  Avoid windy areas (and dust).  Ensure good ventilation.  Several light coats using a sweeping action 6 to 10 inches from the work piece.  I wait until I am just about done.

[bebopsteve]

Thanks Chuck...

[kurtvd19]

Parts 29/29A are a good fix for the lack of an attachment piece for the interior ceiling adjacent to the frame.  If you haven't put them in yet, use some of the carrier sheet for the laser cut parts and make another piece of each to double them up so you have a decent width for the planking to attach to.  The kit pieces will work but wider is better in this case.  Do the same in the stern area by frames 5 and 6 with parts 5A and 6A - double them up.  In the photos attached I used a shorter backer to space the kit piece out - if I was doing it again I would have used duplicate parts for more gluing area rather than the way shown.

Kurt

[bebopsteve]

Looks good Kurt. I think I will do just that.. Thanks

[Chuck Seiler]

29, 29A, 6A, 5a.....Dang!!! Don't I feel stooopid.   I would have figured it out sooner or later.

[Chuck Seiler]

    I think I will post a few pics while the glue dries.

 

 

    Cockpit work is complete and hull planking begins.  Here, sheer strake has been installed n the starboard side and I am now installing the wale.  (Note:  I went with the Smithsonian plans of having 1 strake above the wale.)  A slight bevel on the upper edge of the wale and it fits snug with no gaps.  You can never have too many clamps.

 

 

    One thing I like to do when I am working with planking is to mark the plank on the inside as to where it goes.  Sometimes (well, 95% is some) when working with more than 1 plank I get confused.  preparing a plank for one spot and putting it in another is a waste of time.

 

 

 

   

    Here, the shipyard has a double shift on duty so I can get the starboard aft wale installed while also getting the port forward sheer strake installed.  Team Home Depot versus Team Office Depot.  Did I mention you cannot ever have too many clamps?

 

 

    Team Office Depot clamp brings pressure from the bottom and the side, helping scootch the plank into place.  Sometimes Team Home Depot needs to pitch in when the thingamabob on top doesn't apply enough pressure for the foreman's wishes.  Dang!!!  A gob of glue I missed!!!

 

    This rig was featured in a build log somewhere else on MSW.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Chuck Seiler

[jburchfield1@wowway.com]

Chuck, I just finished converting 100 of those Team Office Depot type clamps.  I think 65 of them should be enough.

[Chuck Seiler]

Don't come cryin' to me when you are looking for clamp #66 and it isn't there.  I warned ya. 

 

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I need to back track a little.  I think I mentioned this at the beginning.  I am a little unhappy with the organization of the hull planking section.  While going into detail on the process of lining off, etc, it then charges into the planking itself and seems (to me at least) to jumble it all together.  As written, it should be three distinct sections:

 

1.  Outer planking from the sheer strake down to the wale.  It strengthens the hull, protects the frames and (as Kurt indicated) provides places to insert support blocks that are used for the interior planking.  I think the designer stopped at the wales because those planks do not need to be spiled.  It is a natural break point.

 

2.  Interior planking.  Again, for the most part, no spiling required.

 

3.  Exterior planking below the wale.  Spiling required.

 

    Now that I am done with the exterior planking down to the wales, I have a couple decisions to make; (1) Continue on with some or all of the external planking and (2) Since I added a small thickness of planking to the bottom, should I re-line off the hull.  I was tempted to go one more strake before proceeding inboard, but I decided to stick with the plans (Gee, why start now!!!).  For # 2 I decided not to line off anew.  I will do strakes W+1 and W+2 (first and second strakes elow the wale) at that point I may make W+3 a wee bit wider and see where that gets us with W+4.  This will give me a feel for how the spiling is working out before I wander off the reservation.  

[bebopsteve]

Hey Chuck does the Office Depot clamps mar or dent the wood? 

[Chuck Seiler]

It will probably mar the softer basswood if there is direct contact.  It will be fine if you use a thin pad off wood between the model surface and the clamp.

[bebopsteve]

Perfect. The first wale is soaking now to fit it. I was wondering if you sanded the first planks above the wale before installing the wale? It seems it would be easier to even out the strakes before attaching the wales, since the thickness is different. (to prevent accidentally sanding the wale)

[Guest Tim I.]

Post-its folded up (inserted in the jaws) also helps some if your short on something else with providing a pad for the Office Max clamps. I used them for my Picket Boat build, in that fashion.

 

- Tim

[Chuck Seiler]

Steve,

 

    I suspect smooth sanding the strakes above the wale before the wale is installed is a good way to do it.  I do it a bit differently.  My wale strake is initially the same thickness as the rest of the hull planks.  Once I get everything smooth finished, I add a second layer to the wale.

[bebopsteve]

Thanks Chuck.. Good idea on the post it's Tim. 

[bebopsteve]

I was snooping around the Goodwill store today and found a big plastic canister of those plastic clamps that are like the ones in Chuck's picture for a $1.50! Like 40 of them.. All never used. Score! 

[Chuck Seiler]

Which clamps.  I think I have 3 or 4 different types.

[bebopsteve]

the plastic multi colored ones..

[Chuck Seiler]

Yeah, I like those, but yo uneed to make sure you get the kind with enough spring to hold down what you need held down.  The metal clamps with red, green or grey tips have different levels of spring.  Some I cannot use on soft wood because it leaves a dent.  On the other hand those are the ones I need to use if I need ALOT of pressure on a particular point.  The plastic ones are good for side planking or planking at the bow stern which have been soacked and pre-bent really well.

[bebopsteve]

I used the new ones to hold down the soaked wale piece and they worked great.

[Chuck Seiler]

    I have been working the last week on the inner/ceiling planking.  I am tempted to speed along here since the planking is straight (no spiling) and relatively simple.  I have to remember to take my time and get it right.  Each time I make a model I have the goal in the back of my mind that 100years from now, the model will be on somebody's mantle piece.  With that in mind, a week or two more to ensure everything is good really makes no difference.  On the other hand, if I hurry and turn out a crappy model, 5 years from now it will be in somebody/s trashcan.

 

 

 

    Progress continues on the ceiling planking.  The size of the model has reveal a shortfall in my clamps.  The metal ones are good down three strakes while the plastics are good down four.  I have a limited number of plastic ones so I improvised by using an extender board for my metal clamps.  It is getting close to the point where I will start using my five fingered clamps.

 

    Note the use of the bar clamps to ensure the lower plank is snug to the upper one.

 

 

    I am pretty happy with how well my strake ends married up with the stern post.  I drew a line down the center where I wanted the ends to...well...end.  I attached a support beam (you can see it peeking out from under the planking just left of the stern post) to guide the plank.  It worked perfectly.  The stem looks good as well, but it took more effort.

Edited October 8, 2014 by Chuck Seiler

[bebopsteve]

Looks Great Chuck. I think I will start on the ceiling planking, and figure the spiling on the hull later. I was working on the hull today but was too distracted watching the Seahawk game. Any tips on spiling the hull planks will be appreciated!!

[MarkCC]

      I am pretty happy with how well my strake ends married up with the stern post.  I drew a line down the center where I wanted the ends to...well...end.  I attached a support beam (you can see it peeking out from under the planking just left of the stern post) to guide the plank.  It worked perfectly.  The stem looks good as well, but it took more effort.

 

The strake ends at the stern ended up pretty poorly for me.  Yours look gorgeous, mine looks like it was put together by a crew of drunkards  .  By the time I realized some of my early mistakes I felt that going back to correct them would likely end up with a worse mess.  I will have pics up in a couple days in my build log.  Sanding will take care of many of my gaffes, and I am hoping that once everything is in place on the deck the rest won't be so visible.  I notice how you used a spare piece of wood to maintain the spacing between the outer and inner strakes right at the stern post.  Nice.

 

Mark

[Chuck Seiler]

 Small cover/fashion-piece a few millimeters wide covering the strake ends should solve the problem.

[Chuck Seiler]

Steve,

   There are a couple tutorials in the "planking" section which helps explain spiling.  I will be taking off on a road trip next week before I get to the exterior, so it will be awhile before i get to the exterior planking.  I plan to post a pic or two of what a spiled plank would look like, although not necessarily how you would get to that point, before I leave.

[bebopsteve]

Thanks Chuck. I am starting to work on the ceiling planking. I wonder why there is not a rabbit or similar for the ends to insert into. The ends just end? it seems like it is a weak point. 

[kurtvd19]

Steve:

The lack of a rabbet is probably due to the fact that the boats were built by carpenters who were lured to the project by some high wages and supervised by only a couple of shipwrights rather than being built by experienced ship builders.  Also, the boats were not built for long term use.

 

An interesting somewhat related point:  When touring the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath a few years ago during the NRG Conference we were in the original workshops and noted that the buildings had certainly been built by the shipwrights rather than carpenters as they used knees at the top of the walls to support the roof construction.  Carpenters would not have used knees.

 

Kurt

[Chuck Seiler]

I agree with Kurt.  When you look at the drama they went thru to get even carpenters to be on site, it was not a surprise that they didn't have many real ship builders.  The over riding plan was to build alot of hulls, get them into the water NOW, don't care what they look like, don't care how long they last as long as they float for a few months, we'll worry about the rest later.

[bebopsteve]

That is very interesting! I really enjoy the history of all this..

[Chuck Seiler]

For some of us it is not history...we just happened to know somebody that was on it.   

[Chuck Seiler]

Slow but sure progress.

 

 

Starboard side ceiling planking complete.

 

 

 

Close-up.  Planks are in place but alot of sanding yet to be done.

 

 

Kit deck planking set in place just for look see.

 

 

Another look.