Now that the planking operation is complete and you are happy with your work its time sand the hull smooth. I would recommend making up a sanding block using very coarse sand paper glued over the block. About 75mm by 30mm by 15mm is sufficient. This takes the edges from the planks quickly so take it easy and watch what you are doing. Of course use a finer grade if you are worried. Sand and feel with your fingers as you go bumps and lumps will need to be removed as these will certainly show up in the completed model. When you are truly satisfied with the result use finer grades until you get the desired surface finish you require. Remember sanding scratches will show if you don’t finish with finer grade papers.

You will now need to protect the hull from mishaps and other ongoing work which may damage the hull so make up a temporary cradle to sit it in but place some protection between the hull and cradle, cloth material or blister/bubble wrap is good protection.

If you have any questions at all regarding this project don’t hesitate to ask on the forum, there are numerous talented people in the group that are more than willing to offer advice and alternatives to the method described. You may well in fact find their methods and approach more suited to your style of building. Remember this method may not suit all hulls all the time so if in doubt ask. Good luck with the rest of your project and enjoy the experience.

 

 

The End

To download this entire tutorial in PDF format, please click HERE
You will need Adobe Reader to read this file.
Reader is available for free from HERE