MS Progress by popeye the sailor - Billing Boats - 1:50 scale

[popeye the sailor]

I was going to post this on the Nordkap thread in the nautical discussion forum,  but seeing it here will set the tone for what I did today.   when I built the Nordkap,  this area of the stern was really tough,  since this was my first time actually planking a wooden hull.  I laid the planking until the counter {I guess this would be what this area's called} was totally isolated.

I came up with the idea to use the cast off planking to fill it in

  then it was sanded 

then it got a coat of filler

 then it got sanded 

that was much later.....guess I didn't snap a picture of it sanded.   what I intend to do on the Progress is a bit different......I'm going to try and cover it with 1/8 th basswood flat stock.   

one thing I would do beforehand,  should have been to line along the underside of the deck platform with 1/8 strip stock......bent to the contour of the transom part.   I would have something for the mating edge to lay on.....I did encounter a little unevenness,  but nothing a little filler can't handle.

   taking a piece of card {a model box} I made up a template.

bad enough there is the hull curvature,  but there is an opposite curvature,  since the stern is rounded {a compound curvature}.   making and fitting a piece from the template,  it was soaked in hot water and flexed enough to be able to trap it inside a glass.  another glass was pushed inside to press it against the inside ID of the glass,  and left in the sun to dry {with any luck}.   earlier,  before I did that,  I had hot water in the stacked glass,  to keep heat on it {setting it in the sun was the admiral's idea....she likes to help sometimes}.  while playing the waiting game,  I puttered around on other projects,  coming back to the Progress,  to make the anchor boxes.

I will post something on this in the Nordkap thread........these I did a little differently......I added the bottom part rather than use the deck platform as the bottoms.  cemented in the bow,  they will be totally closed in.  they were sanded and fitted into their places inside the bow cavity.

I did go a bit further with the bow.  I started to make another cabin bulkhead,  cutting the bin opening in the middle of the bulkhead...but I stopped in the middle of it all,  and worked with the bulkhead that was supplied with the kit.  the bin opening is off to the starboard side,  making allowance for a porthole and a door.  I may keep it.......but I will finish the other bulkhead and compare them to see what I like best......I will also look at the diagrams and see what was actually there.  in either case,  I want to try and do a sliding door,  rather than removable boards

 

you can see that I'm impatient to get to work on the deck fixtures....huh  

[popeye the sailor]

when the moment of truth came.......fitting it was terrible!   one curvature was working against the other.......and it just became too crazy.   so,  I said the heck with it.......I split the difference.   the first side was fitted and cemented in place.

the other side was fitted and cemented in place soon after....and then I couldn't stand it any longer.   that transom strip needed to be thickened up!

    I was gonna run out and get some flat stock,  so I could make a whole part for it......but I grabbed any 1/32 pieces that would fit and cobbled them in, filling the span of the transom part!

hee....hee.......looks like me the other day at the dentist       when ll this was dry,  it was trimmed and sanded to some degree.  I didn't want to go too crazy on it.......damp basswood does not sand well........no..no..it don't     there are a couple areas as I mentioned,  but I think it will take less putty to smooth it out.

I left a sill to terminate the planking.

you can see some of the bow parts on the board.......the bulkhead is there,  cut from mahogany sheet.   in the first Nordkap kit,  that part was plywood,  which was a lot thicker.  most of the aft cabin parts were plywood as well.   I may double it up,  should I use that one.......although,  I cut the other bulkhead part from 1/8 basswood flat stock.  it's not much different,  but it's a lot stiffer.   when I worked in the bow cavity,  I cemented in two posts for the bulkhead to rest against.  they will also serve as the locator points for the beam that will fit against the upper edge of the bulkhead.  I cemented the first beam in place already.........it was out of the way.

yea.......I still gotta get a light over here so I can see better........it will benefit the pictures too.   the stern too is all closed in.......I think some of the CA worked it's way around the deck platform too.

well........I think I bent yas ears long enough........my god........I'm such a chatterbox!  I thinks I'll slinks back in me hole and see what other forms of mayhem I can get into     my god!.........some cortisone please!!!!!>>>>>>>I an SOOOOOOO itching to do a fore'cle deck!

[popeye the sailor]

hey there!   I have some progress to report........not much though.  kinda boring during the planking process.   I did a few more things on her,  on the 9th of this month........first was to get that light in place so I can see!

so,  after filling in the bulwarks with the two strakes of 7 mm,  I ran two more strakes of 10 mm,  about 1/3 down the length of the hull and staggered.

    from these,  I will run 5 mm to fill them in....all this just so the bow will be totally filled in.   after running the first 5 mm strake,  the tabs for the deck platform aftward,  were reinforced with 1/8 short pieces.   when I do the other side,  it will get the same treatment.....no more running the risk of breaking those tabs.   especially during deck planking.

 

[popeye the sailor]

I need to hurry.........errand time,  but the admiral is taking Gibbs out.   anyway........I almost have the 5 mm strakes added to the hull.  the other side got the reinforcements for the deck platform tabs.  just two 5 mm planks more to go,  and then I can continue with the 7 mm.

the stern begins to get filled in....this makes it better terminating at this point.

as I work on the planking and the Tumbl'in Dice {as a fill in},  I'm allotting time to do a few things to this build off to the side.   the helm room need to be modified......the Progress doesn't have some of the finesse that the Nordkap has.   so I need to do away with the sloping curves bulwark,  that border along the sides of the helm room.   I will straighten them out and level the height.  but I need to trace the new parts first.  taking the best side to trace,  the windows were cut out for reference.

.....and then traced on a piece of 1/8 flat stock.

the bulwark part won't be as long.....but it's good to have extra.  they were then cut out...........still needing to cut out the windows.   on the helm deck platform,  the walls were measured 1/8 th from the edge,  as they are on the original platforms,  and traced out.  the arc of the front is not totally exact,  but it's close enough.   not sure if I will need the back line,  but I added it anyway.

well folks......she back inside.........errand time is at hand.   I will be back   

[Sjors]

Mmmmmm a new one...😏 

I will try to follow this also....

 

Sjors

[Piet]

Hey Denis,

 

I finally made some time to log in MSW and get caught up with all of my friends builds.  Yeah, it's been over two months but who is counting.  Great little boat you are building, looking fantastic and nice work as usual.

 

Cheers,

[popeye the sailor]

hello Sjors.........yes....it's another old Billing's kit.   coming along great so far   

 

hello Piet.........my, it has been a while!   I hope you and Gwen are well,  and a new project draws you to the table!   we miss you

 

thanks for all the likes........more on the Progress soon   

[popeye the sailor]

I do have a small update on the Progress........not too exciting,  since I'm in the thralls of planking.   after filling the two strakes of 10 mm with the pairs of 5 mm planking,  it resumes with the 7 mm.  this is where I will position the first stealer at the bow.   the bow may need two of them to keep the line straight.  I already did the starboard side.

adding the stealer leveled out the line at the bow.

before I go any further though,  I will need to fare the the bulkhead roots,  where the sander couldn't touch without damaging the rabbits.  it can be seen here almost touching the rabbit.   I could have gotten fancy,  in jogging the 5 mm planks,  but I kept it simple.

at the stern,  I will have to start tapering the planking,  or this curvature will become more pronounce.   it will cause problems if I let it go and reaches the stern rabbits.

turning the hull around to the port side,  I've already laid the 5 mm planking and finished off the strakes.  I've already marked off where the next plank is to be placed at the bow.

I'll make the filler from the odd 10 mm plank strips that were cut off.  more soon  

[Old Collingwood]

Really tidy work denis  - nice clean plank runs also.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

thanks OC  

[Fright]

Your work that are doing on the planking looks very nice. You make it look easy. I purchased two books on planking a ship and I am still baffled on the tapering needed for the bow and stern. Great work on yours!

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Robert      it can be complex,  depending on the ship your modeling.   keeping in mind that the mid ship is wider than the bow and stern on most ships,  stealers and tapering is required to fit all the strakes.  in cases where the bow is wider than the mid ship and stern,  jogging planks may be needed.  I'm no expert at it either.......I create as straight a line as possible and go with it.   I did a poor example of jogging on this hull,  but my intention was to fill in the rest of the open areas of the bulwarks,  so the entire deck would be closed in.....not that it mattered,  since that part of the bow deck won't be seen.  luckily,  we have quite a few folks here on the site,  who have much more experience,  that we can learn from  

 

thanks for the good word..........and to all who have hit the like button   

[Jim Lad]

Progress progresses!

 

John

[popeye the sailor]

hello John......and thanks for the good word.   it's planking.........I'd rather be play'in with the cabin structure       hopefully,  I can get this huge carcass planked over and ready for the next step.  I'm still very happy with how the kit is assembling so far.

[popeye the sailor]

I meant to get back here with more progress on the planking,  but the work week took over.   I took today off.......had to get away from the insanity.   I did make the filler plank for the gap.

looking at the hull as I passed by the spare room,  I though to myself that another stealer will be needed.  this will be later though.........I'll lay some clean planking first,  and give the stealers some space.   I added another strake to the starboard side,  but my aim now will be to straighten the line out at the stern.   by the time I reach the stern rabbit,  I should have a straight line to the transom / counter.   I really like how I did the counter,  but not how soaking and contorting the wood to fit caused some rippling to occur.  it's really minor.....and I should thank my lucky stars that it worked as well as it did.  some filler should round it out nicely.   I'll have more soon.

[Mirabell61]

Very nice planking job Denis,

 

your skill is great and better from model to model....

 

Nils

[CDW]

1 minute ago, Mirabell61 said:

Very nice planking job Denis,

 

your skill is great and better from model to model....

 

Nils

I must agree with you Nils. Every time I look at Denis' work and admire it, it gets even better the next time.!

Looking really great, Denis.

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Nils and CDW.......shucks......I'm no expert.  I do have some knowledge of this hull though,  so it may help me over what problems there are.   I looked at some of my old log pictures.............you mean,  I did it like that?!?!?!      more to come  

[keelhauled]

Hi Denis, 

she's looking great.  You are a model building machine!!  Once again making me look bad with my lack of progress 

 

best

Marc

[Jim Lad]

The planking's coming along very nicely, mate!

 

John

[popeye the sailor]

   ......oh......sorry 'bout that.  I'm sure that the Cutty take a lot more concentration though........with all the good stuff your pack'in into the project,  she's gonna be one fantastic model     I also found out what's worse than watch'in paint dry.........fill'in glue bottles    one of our members gave me a good tip about glue bottles,  so I went out and bought an eight pack.  a couple of days later,  we were in Staples,  and we stumbled onto a gal of Elmer's glue.   wondering what an office would do with a gal of glue,  I bought one,  and filled three bottles.  now I have one for each table.......no more carrying the glue bottle around for me.....have glue will travel......

   got a couple more planks on her.....toy'in with the Thermopylae and the T.D.   yea.......add another model to my revolving list.  I'll get'em all built sooner or later     thanks for the good word my friend

 

hello John..........thanks  

Edited November 27, 2018 by popeye the sailor
additional salutations

[popeye the sailor]

a little time was spent on the Progress today.   I needed sanding sticks to clean and fare the bulkheads close to the rabbits.......mainly at the bow.  I usually take planking and cement sandpaper on it for a home made version.  the admiral had left me some wide sticks that she uses to mix her hair color.....perfect!   cementing on three different grits,  I now have some pretty nifty sanders  

the gray one is some pretty heavy grit......when I need to do an evasive mod   ..........OK,  two strakes were laid,  staggered.

notice the three bow bulkheads where they met the rabbit..........gone!  I still need to do the rabbit along the keel,  joining the bow rabbit to the stern rabbit.  I will wait till I do the garboard, it will cover better.   I probably should have begun the tapering sooner back here........guess it's time to pay the piper     the first pair of tapered plank segments are in place.

after the second pair are in place,  I will continue in this fashion,  since it's better to trim a shorter length,  than the entire strip.  I'll just continue with the butt staggers........I'll better utilize the wood too.

[popeye the sailor]

planking continues on the Progress.   tapering the planking at the stern is going pretty good,  although I'm having to play 'catch up' to decrease the curvature of the hull counter.

while it appears that tapering might be starting to exceed the line I'm looking for,  an overview shows that tapering is still needed.

I think by the time I reach the stern rabbit,  I might be able to lessen the tapering,  but not until.   it's a work in progress.   having some free time,  while waiting for glue to set,  I thought I'd spend some time on the structure some more.  I'd work on the T.D. but I'm really worn out from the stair fiasco {say after me.....poor sweet baby}    don't worry.........the admiral beat you to it      gathering together the parts that will make up the helm room,  I began to find that I will need to make some changes,  as well as parts.  two half moon looking parts make up the front fascia rabbit {floor}, and the dash top.  after sanding them equal to one another {two identical parts},  the floor rabbit was cemented in place.

earlier,  I had made two side panels,  making adjustments for the two aft casements,  that {on the Nordkap} wrap around the entrances to the helm room.   on the Progress,  these casements are to be straight........I'm also thinking to do a bit more modification to them.   they were made from basswood flat stock and needed the windows to be cut out.

the bottoms of the original part were curved,  as though the entire structure was based on the deck camber.  I have taken most of it out when I assembled the bottom section of the structure........and so,  this will translate to the top section as well.  the bottoms on the new parts are flat.   I also noted the extreme camber along the bottom of the aft helm room wall.   to alter the part would have affected the fit,  so I made a new part of the wall too.

the engine room structure was marked out,  as well as the portholes.   the doors will be added,  like I did with the lower section,  cutting out any windows if needed.  the wall boundaries were marked out on the deck floor.

the base was then framed in to cement the walls to.

the sides and the aft wall were cemented in place,  cleaning up any glue that might have oozed out {I like a clean joint}.

I might add a curvature to the casements,  leveling them to a lower height,  as it reaches the end.   I want to add a short piece at the ends,  closing them off,  but allowing for a ladder,  preferably on both sides.   having to make all these parts is knock'in the heck out of my intentions,  of using most of the kit parts.   the front fascia was no exception.   I cut out the windows with a case cutter,  my 'go to' tool for things like this.   believe me,  I thought of using the scroll saw........but thinking of how I would have to set up the scroll saw for every window,  changed my mind.

I dry fitted the part,  and found that it's much larger than needed..........the two end windows are really close to the side walls too.   I may have to make another part and eliminate a window.   I want to do more fitting to get a better picture of what my alternatives are.  the absence of the bottom curvature might pose another problem,  since it has to wrap around the front,  rather that sit flat against the side walls.   I also notice that the slant of the mating edges of the side parts,  may also pose a problem too.   on the Nordkap,  the front fascia has the slant and curvature that is presented here,  but for some reason,  it doesn't want to work out on this model

it has all six windows...........and note how wide the helm room is.   the aft casements can be seen here too.   another update soon  

[rwiederrich]

Fantastic job......for this being your first POB...you have apparently mastered some forming techniques. 

 

This will be another fine fishing vessel for your collection.  Wonderful work.

 

Enjoying your build.

 

Rob

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Rob   for as old a kit as it was,  it was a fun build to start me off.   this kit is no different.......I just got done cutting the cap rails out with the scroll saw.  it was kind of a nail biter,  since the parts for this kit are on mahogany sheet.  another fellow on the site had the same obstacle doing a Billing kit that he had....very old and the wood kept splitting on him.   he also succeeded though,  so there is hope.   I still have a strong urge to purchase a newer kit of this vessel.......they are now laser cut,  and I'm sure it allows for a few extra bells and whistles.  I wouldn't build another Nordkap though,  but I would do a different ship.  one that I think most,  if not all the parts could be used.

appreciate ya follow'in along     thanks for the kind comment.

[CDW]

What's the thickness of the mahogany sheets? I recall a lot of splitting on the old die cut (die crunched) parts of models that had those.

Seems like a very fine blade is needed to cut them without splintering. Maybe score them with an XActo knife or similar, first. Wonder if that would help?

[popeye the sailor]

Hi there CDW........mahogany is a brittle wood to start with.........add 30 to 40 years to it and it does tend to compound it.  I've had surprisingly good luck with the scroll saw thus far....I cut out the cap rails this morning without incident.   I haven't seen one of these die cut yet.......most are laser cut.   this one is not cut out at all....one of the earmarks in being an older kit.  I am a bit in question about the 'fit' quality of this kit..........I didn't find it too bad on the first Nordkap.   it's normal to sand and trim parts to fit on any kit really.......but even making the part from scratch shouldn't have made that much of a difference.  I pretty much copied the kit part.  oh well.......doesn't really matter and don't particularly care.   as long as I can get the hull,  I'll scratch build the rest,  if I have to.   let it be written....let it be done!

   what I have is an older model Craftsman scroll saw......it takes the shorter blades.  It came to me with a {how do I describe them}........a band type blade..........has a wider body.  what I got for it are some that are really narrow,  so I can do tighter radius curves.  if I were to try it with the blade I had on there, it would have twisted, broke,  or bogged it down........a lot more resistance.  it had a wire like guard that put pressure on the wood being cut,  but it was too tight, so I took it off,  having to guide the wood freehand.  in spite of all this nonsense,  I can do some pretty straight cuts........I hold down the wood with one hand and push with the other,  guiding it as I go.  I've ruined a few parts,  but I've gotten better    these blades I bought are fine blades.......gonna be harder to find,  now that Sears is on the outs.

 

scoring is a good idea.........but so far,  I haven't felt like I needed to do it.  the sheets are 1/16"......pretty easy stuff.  thanks for suggesting it  

 

 

[CDW]

On a whim, I bought a scroll saw from Harbor Freight one day and almost instantly regretted it. Before that, I had a Dremel scroll saw. Honestly I didn't like either saw and had a hard time staying on track with them. 

It's quite possible the problem was me, the operator. But I didn't find either saw very comfortable to work with and they left me with a desire to find a better saw one day when I can afford a good one (whatever that is).

I've seen some builders on this forum do marvelous work with a hand saw. I never owned a good hand saw either.

 

PS: The kits that came to mind when I said die crunched mahogany parts were the old Sterling ship model kits. Dumas had them as well.

Edited November 29, 2018 by CDW

[popeye the sailor]

oh......I'm sure they were {and probably} still are.......die cutting was the early process before laser cutting came into use.   there are likely old kits out there......like old plastic models,  they show up on E-bay and such.   I mostly use a box cutter to cut out my parts.   I'm glad the balsa aircraft are starting to get away from die cutting........my Fokker Dr1 was so much better  

 

I don't use too many power tools either,  but the scroll saw has been a godsend.   I may look into other stuff,  but I'm in no hurry.

[popeye the sailor]

I just got back from Christmas shopping with my son.........we do this every year.   we have fun    anyway....the current dilemma with the helm room.

    I'm not going to make another part...........I simply made a couple of triangular parts and added them to the side walls,  this will allow the front fascia to be more vertical,  eliminating the curvature problem at the base,  and from eclipsing the windows as it wraps around the front.   they will be close to the edge,  but I don't think it'a a big deal.   the side parts were cut on an angle for the fascia.......

the bar in the front is just there to keep both side vertical.