Cap'n Rat Fink

Mario,
 
Have you checked out Woodcraft (http://www.woodcraft.com/category/HT115-07/carving-sets.aspx) or Wood Carver's Supply (http://www.woodcarverssupply.com/)??    I have three sets of the Dockyard chisels.. as well as several different grits of carving burrs.   Love 'em... I just need to get better with them.
 
As for those two sites... prices range from very inexpensive to super-pricey... 

How much time would you be willing to invest in making your smaller hand tools, as opposed to spending your time to search out good tools and then spending your money to buy them?  If you think about it, any tool that you might buy or make, will need to be sharpened from time to time.  I've found that making and sharpening tools works for me.
 
There's good steel available.  I buy old 1/4" shanked HSS spade bits at yardsales, and then grind them down to what suits my need.  I use a 6" bench grinder with an aluminum oxide (white) wheel to shape them, and dunk the bit in water from time to time to cool it.  (Another method is to stick the spade bit through a piece of a potato -- when the potato cooks, then the bit is getting hot.).  You can do the same with hacksaw blades, but they're a bit more delicate.  After grinding, then honing the tool with stones or wed/dry silicon carbide paper on glass can finish the sharpening of the tool.  Once you get the hand of it, it goes pretty fast, and faster than hunting around.

For a handle, I buy a 6" extension for the spade bits (~$3) and drill a broomstick to hold it. I glue  the extension into the broomstick with epoxy.  This makes a handle this is interchangeable with many bits, and you can shape the broomstick to fit your hand.  The same can be done with hacksaw blades.
 

I have found these chisels to be both cheap and good quality.
 
http://www.bnamodelworld.com/trumpeter/tr-09923
 
there are others in the range also

Steve,
  Good Luck Steve with the surgery. I hope rehap includes building models to get the arm back in shape there. Nice progress on the launch Sir.
 
mario

This be jus' a quick update afore Our Hero be heading off to hospital to have his bionic modelling arm fitted for minor surgery.
 
"Me rudder doth have-eth full lateral movement an' all, but before I go tick-ething anything further from the list," CaptainSteve opined, "I be still lookin' to touch-up the final look o' the lower pintle an' gudgeon arrangement."
 
More than likely, Our Hero will add a few light touches of white to the blackened metal, in order that most of the black is visible. Time will tell.
 
"Any-hoo, before I go dry-brushing anything, here be some o' me latest pics ..."



 
Note: The above photos were more for Our Hero's usage in checking his work ...
"I be really a-hatin' close-up photography !!!", he was heard to grumble. 

“I doest have some vials o’ the Liver O’ Sulphur (LoS),” CaptainSteve didst trieth to explain. “As well, there be recently-arrived vials o’ the Caseys’ Brass Black concoction.”
 
Firstly, the pieces were washed clean in methylated spirits ... 

 
... and thence were rinsed in distilled water …

 
Thus, Our Hero didst decide that the plates jointing tiller to rudder were to be tinted by immersion in the LoS. This be primarily to give ‘em the same look as the mast-clamps. For the pintles/gudgeons to be attached to the transom, Our Hero didst useth this occasion to test-eth out his first ever usage o’ the Caseys’ blackening agent.

 
Bolt-heads for the fixings were made by clipping the heads from miniature nails. Verily, much wailing and gnashing of teeth did occur-eth whilst trying to install these.
“They be a right PITA to be a-fitting unto the corresponding holes,” Our Hero went on, “but they be adding to the overall look, in the end.”

 
“And here be a couple o’ pics of me rudder/tiller arrangement, just prior to installation,” CaptainSteve were to conclude.
"If ye doth squint, ye can just barely make-eth out the chamois grip-lashing upon the end o' me tiller-arm ..."

 
"Fixed through wi' a pin, and most verily, it doth moveth !!"

 
“Now, I be a-readin’ recently about the matter o’ the White Stuff which were applied unto the hulls of ships and boats up to and beyond the time o’ the Mutiny incident,” CaptainSteve summarized. “It were used as an anti-fouling treatment, o’ sorts.”
Wi’ his recently applied water-line, Our Hero didst realize that his rudder wouldst also needeth the White Stuff.
 
“This be a-leadin’ to me most recent conundrum,” he began to wind-eth up. “Doest I be painting the lower pintle & gudgeon pair, or do I be leavin’ them the blackened metal colouring ??” he was to posit.
 
On the one hand, Our Hero hath noticed that other Launch builders have left-eth theirs black, even where they have also added a waterline.  Indeedeth, this be the look which he hath so far applied.
 
“However,” CaptainSteve theorized, “according to the time-honoured naval tradition of ‘If it doesn’t move, paint it!!’, then most surely I shouldst be over-painting the straps of this lower arrangement.”
 
“What sayeth the horde??”

Our Hero didst jumpeth into the previous weekend, intending to haveth one further item tick-ethed a-from the List prior to his upcoming surgery.
“If not, then a brace or more!!” CaptainSteve didst boast.
 
Thusly, and with vigour, work didst commence upon his rudder/tiller arrangement. Firstly, the kit rudder was over-planked with strips o' thin veneer ...

 
“Arrr … it be only much later,” he beganeth. “That I be a-realizin' that what I should have done were to be having the planks a-running up an' down, instead o' horizontally …”

 
“Me tiller piece was shaped with fine sand-paper,” he said. “And then a grip added made from a strip of the same chamois cloth which hadst been use-ethed for me oar-lashings."
This be-eth an idea which Our Hero didst learn-eth from the Artistic One ... and his squirrels.

To alloweth movement o' the tiller-arm, note-eth that a small amount of wood hath been trimmed from the lower corner, where it doth meet with the rudder-piece.
(See pics at end of next post.)
 
Paint were applied to the rudder to match-eth with the transom, including the Docker’s stripe …

 
O’course, ‘twould have been much easier to be noticing that the rudder piece needed additional tapering a-fore painting … but this wouldn’t be a CaptainSteve build if that were the case !!

 
Next up, the pieces for the pintles and gudgeons, as well as the straps for the tiller, were cut from the kit-supplied strip of brass.
“I be using just a pair of cheap scissors …”, Our Hero added, by way of explanation.

 
The Dremel tool with grinding wheel helped shape the final outcome for the fittings …

 
“I didst be a-using small pieces o’ brass rod and tube (not-eth supplied in the kit),” he went on, “to form-eth the hinge pieces making the working bits for me pintles and gudgeons.”

More power to those o' you whose metal-working skills are adequate. Our Hero's be not ... and thus, he hath joined his pieces together with two-part epoxy, after failing with solder (and needing to be re-making at least one o' these pieces).
 
As many of you are probably aware by now, CaptainSteve doth sometimes go-eth off on tangents, thus wasting valuable build time with oft-times friviolous research. This were to be yet another one o' those times.
 
As usual, o' course, this didst leadeth unto the question of colouration (doesn’t it always??), with Our Hero contemplating upon the look he wouldst be applying unto his metal bits ...

Arrr ...
Precious little accomplished (again !!). CaptainSteve was absent from his shipyard this past week, as he had to house-sit for CaptainAndrew. This involved looking after the Captain's dog, cat and wide-screen TV !!
 
However, the base-stand has now been completed, and thus ...

... one further item he didst ticketh off.
 
The base-board was trimmed to size, the pedestals fitted, the edging added, and a couple of coats of subdued gloss Tung Oil applied ...

 
To be honest, Our Hero be mightily chuffed wi' the outcome ...

Wi’ the hot Australian summer uponeth him, CaptainSteve hath discovered that his modelling room was designed by the same Swedish gnomes who doth maketh saunas and steam-rooms.
 
Nonetheless, Our Hero didst stealeth some hours this past eventide to ticketh one further item from his list.

 
“Verily, I didst umm and ahh, dither and dally upon this point,” he was heard to mutter, perhaps by way of explanation.
For whilst he was most proud of the wood-graining which hadst been doneth, CaptainSteve couldst not shaketh the feeling that his boat didst lacketh something for want of the external tree-nails.
 
“Hence, I do presenteth unto Ye me scratched-up water-line … ”, he didst declare, perhaps a little too triumphantly.
First up, Our Hero didst contrive to obtain a highly specialised tool in the field of ship-building – that being the water-line marker …

 
“And, thence, I didst set about tapething off the top part o’ me planking,” CaptainSteve announced.

 
“… a’fore painting in my water-line using a mix of matt White acrylic and thinners.”

 
After a couple of coats had been allowed to dry (taking some three and a half minutes in Our Hero’s work-room/sauna), he didst cutteth it back wi’ fine-grit sanding blocks.
 
“And, here in this next pic,” CaptainSteve beganeth, “me Launch doth lie lazily upon the almost-completed display-board made from bark.”

This be jus' another brief update to Our Hero's build-log ...
 
"Recently, I didst take delivery o' some of Chuck's ropes," CaptainSteve didst begineth. "Indeedeth, verily they be most rope-like in appearance."
 
As such, he doth plan to swappeth out the kit-supplied threads, which doest be most shiny.
"Especially working with 1/16th scale, the new ropes will be looking much better," CaptainSteve didst suggest.
 
First up, Our Hero didst seize a length of 0.045" tan line, using 0.008" black line ...

 
... once seized, he didst strop a loop for the grapnel chain and thence serve-eth that.

 
Thence, he didst adapt an idea borrowed from Modeller12 to make Flemish coils ...


 
They be simply two discs cut from hard plastic, then slipped down on a toothpick and stuck into a pencil eraser.
"I didst first trail the end o' the grapnel rope through the hole in the bottom disc," CaptainSteve tried to explain. "And then smear some PVA onto one disc and thence proceed to wrap the line whilst pushing the discs together and turning the eraser around.
 

"Here be me grapnel sitting lazily upon the front o' me Launch," he continued. "I be plannin' to let half o' me coil hang down over the edge of the thwart."
 
As for the loose end, well, CaptainSteve still be a-waitin' the answer as to where the grapnel rope shall be tied off ...
"To me, thee logical choice doeth seem to be to affixeth it to the for'ard mast-step," he didst concludeth.

Port side hull and square tuck planking
 
Cheers, Lee

Thanks, Druxey and David. Druxy, the depth of rabbet is half of strake thickness but the depth was gradually increased to the full thickness of strake at the fore and aft ends for the carvel planking. Yes, the miniature tools are from Lee Valley made by Veritas. These miniature tools are useful especially for the light cut of miniature modeling work though longer time is required than power tools.
 
Cheers, Lee

Thank you Nils, Mike, Alex and Antony for your compliment.
 
Antony, I took pictures of planking procedure. I hope they are helpful. I usually use miniature shoulder plane to make a rabbet at the top side of strake.
 
Cheers, Lee

Progress of port side hull planking
 
About half of port side hull has been planked up to now. It takes so many time and rework than I expected. I thought there will be a little chance of fairing of clinker type planking, I was careful on work. However, I found there are many unsatisfied area. I learn that "Do not believe the view by eye." and taking picture is much helpful to check the result.
 
Cheers, Lee
 
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Garboard
 
Thank you Nils. Small update after long break.
 
For the start of clinker type planking of port side, the garbord strakes were attached along the keel. Rabbet was scored at the upper side of strake to receive the plank strake above.
 
Cheers, Lee

Going outside of hull
 
By the lots of joining long stuffs, she became strong enough to work on outside of hull. First, stepped and rough starboard side surface of frame was smoothened with rasp, file and scraper was used for final finishing. Port side frame surface, where the planking will be scheduled, was only finished with rasp.
 
The main wale was prepared with 2mm thick ebony strake. They were steam bent and joined at the same height of upper deck clamp.
 
Next step will be the planking of port side by clinker type.
 
Cheers, Lee
 
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Treenail simulation and finishing of inner hull
 
After removing upper deck beams, I tried treenail simulation with hypodermic syringe needle on the inner hull planking boards. It is the good place of experiment because this place will be invisible after upper deck planking.

Upper deck beam
 
Cambered upper deck beam were prepared by steam bending method and joined on the deck clamp temporarily. Bending was more simple than cutting curved beam, however, it is not easy keeping bending radius constantly for each beam. As can be seen on the following pics, some of beams are needed rectifying the curvature. After marking the position of carling, they will be removed for scoring recesses, attaching hanging and lodging knees and so on.
 
Regards,
Lee
 
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Thank you Wyzwyk for your interest on my building log.
 
Thank you Druxey for your kind comments on the planking line. Though the upper thick stuff lines are much curved upward, they ended just below the upper deck hook fortunately. I think the ends should be terminated at around upper breast hook to get more reasonable result.

Upper deck clamp, deck hook, inner hull planking between deck clamp and thick stuff.
 
Upper deck hook was joined directly to the stem and hawse pieces at the height of upper deck line. The deck clamps were also placed at both side of inner hull following the deck plane line. Then, inner hull between clamp and thick stuff of port side was covered with normal planking boards as was done below the thick stuff.
 
Cheers,
Lee
 
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Question about planking line
 
As shown in the pictures, flat lower deck plane at the midship is almost coincide with upper thick stuff plank line, however, at the fore most deck plane is far below from the line, ie., inner hull plank line seems too much curved upward at the fore section. Is it generally right or I made mistake?
 
In Goodwin's book, he did show very little information about inner hull planking. He only commented thick stuff placed over the chock of futtock joint. So I followed that as possible as I can.

Thank you Nils, Mark and Michael for your generous compliments and "like"s.
 
Nils, I stumbled on small black blanket is so effective for making contrast of model ship with my mobile phone camera. No special tech.

Little progress of lower deck planking.
 
Cheers
 
 
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Thank you Antony and Nils for your encouraging words and interesting. I'm learning lots of things through this building though I made many mistakes. I hope this practice makes me better for the next project.
 
Regards

Some more photos