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usedtosail

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Everything posted by usedtosail

  1. I have completed the first planking. I filled the low spots with diluted wood putty then sanded everything smooth, then did that two more times to fill any remaining low spots. I used a Dremel to cut and sand down the ends of the planks at the transom. I also filed down the nail heads but left them in place. I think it came out OK for a first planking but the second planking has to be a lot better. I then used the second planking strips, which are pear, to start planking the transom. These strips need to be cut and sanded flush with the first planks before I can start adding the second planks over the first.
  2. Thanks Thukydides. I planked part of the way up from the garboard strakes until I had a gap of about three planks left. At this point I was again having to bend the planks a lot, so I decide I would add a drop plank in this gap. I added one more full length plank then the drop plank. You can see one on the bench in the next image. It still has a good bend through most of the length but fit pretty well. And here it is being installed. I have since cut the planks to fill the remaining gap on each side and am in the process of gluing them in place. I have also started filling in the low spots on all the planks with wood putty and will start sanding the hull when that is completed. Not the prettiest planking job but OK for the first layer. This will all be covered with the second layer, which will be pear. The pear strips are not as wide as these planks so I am not sure if they will be easier to bend and fit. I hope they will be but we shall find out soon enough.
  3. I put about half the planks from the gun ports down, but then I decided to add the garboard strakes and plank up to what I had already done. Here are the garboard strakes being glued in place. I first glued the planks to the middle bulkheads using medium CA glue since I couldn't plank them to anything. I then glued the fore and aft ends to those bulkheads, which I was able to clamp.
  4. The gun port pieces came out pretty well but there were two issues. At the transom the gun port pieces were pinched in between the last bulkhead and the transom. I determined that I had not sanded the transom piece enough so it was causing the ends of the gun port pieces to be out too far. I carefully released the glue joints between them and the transom pieces, then used a Dremel sanding disk to reduce the width of the upper transom piece. When I re-glued the gun port pieces to the transom piece, I also put a spacer between them to push them outward a bit. When the glue dried the gunk port pieces came out much straighter. I am also not worried about that joint, as medium CA seems to hold it very well. The other problem I had was that at the bow the bottoms of the gun port pieces were a little too far away from the first 5 or so bulkheads. The planking strips provided for the first planking are pretty thin so I was worried that I would sand through them getting them flush with the bottom of the gun port pieces. My solution was to use a thicker planking strip for the bow area of the first plank below the gun port pieces. This should give me enough meat to sand without getting too thin. I can also use wood filler in this area if I need to to fill in any gaps that might show up. So the first planking has started. I measured each bulkhead using a tick strip to determine the number and width of the planks at each bulkhead. The planks need some tapering at the first 5 bulkheads at the bow and at the last bulkhead and transom at the stern. I tapered two thicker strips for the first plank at the bow and two regular width strips for the rest of the first plank, soaked them for just a few minutes, used a plank bender to bend in curve at the bow, then clamped them to the bulkheads to dry. Once they are dry I will glue and clamp them in place. One plank down, many more to go.
  5. After adding the transom pieces, it was time to fair the bulkheads, add the stem piece, then add the gun port pieces. The gun port pieces had to be soaked then bent to the bulkheads. As per the instructions, I pinned the bottoms and clamped the tops to the bulkheads, let them dry overnight, then glued and pinned them back into place. I did the port side pieces first, and I now have the starboard pieces soaked and drying. I am worried about where the aft gun port pieces are glued to the transom pieces, as this is a very thin gluing area and I don't see anything coming up that will help hold these joints. I did use medium CA to hold these joints which should help.
  6. Thanks Eric and the likes. I continue putting the frame together and this was the trickiest part - adding the base for the upper deck. It has to be bent just enough to get between the frames and those very fragile transom supports. I managed to get it in place and glued to the bulwarks and used some clamps to hold the middle of the deck sown while it dries. The next step is to add those transom pieces, to protect those transom supports.
  7. I have been using Dullcoat Lacquer on the Mara polyester ropes I make for the past 5 years with good results.
  8. I glued two of the lower deck sections to the bulkhead. Because there is a curvature to the deck, I used these modified clamps to hold them while gluing which worked great.
  9. Thanks EvanKeel. I will follow along with your Bounty Launch build. I really liked that kit too. Just your typical shot of gluing the bulkheads to the keel. Of course everything fit together like they were made for each other.
  10. This will be my second Vanguard kit. I have wanted to build this ship model ever since it was released. I will be building it for our new first grandson, Thomas Joseph. His nursery is a nautical theme so the completed model will go in there when he is older. I have to include a picture of the little guy. The sailer suit was actually his father's, our son, from when he was a baby. Ok enough of that. I have unboxed the kit and started cutting out the bulkheads and keel. Pictures of the actual model coming soon.
  11. Thanks Derek. Your Duchess is beautiful. One last picture of the Duchess in its new case, which I finished today. I will be delivering it to my friends later this week.
  12. Thank you Glenn, Bob, Dave and Gary, and for those that pressed the Like button. I really appreciate it. I am in the process of uploading better pictures of the completed Duchess to the gallery. Have a look there if you want to see more of the model.
  13. Thanks Glenn and the likes. I finished adding the anchors this morning. The model is now completed! I have to say I am really impressed with the work of @chris watton and Vanguard. This kit was my first Vanguard kit and it was so much fun to build without too many frustrations or headaches like other kits. The level of detail on these kits is amazing too. I will be making a case for the model and then delivering it to our friends Joanne and Paul, who just bought a house here on Newfound Lake. This is the second model I have given away to friends and I am so flattered that they want them in their homes. As it says in my signature, my next build will be the Vanguard Speedy. I have wanted to build this ship since the kit came out. I am building it for our first grandchild, Thomas Joseph (TJ), who was born at the end of January. His nursery is already a nautical theme so it will fit right in, but not until he is old enough, whenever that will be. I'll start a build log when I start the kit, probably around April or May. For now I need to clean up the workshop and take some glam shots of the Duchess. I'll post some here and in the gallery, probably next week sometime. Thanks for your interest in this build and happy building yourselves.
  14. Thank you Gary and for the likes. Here are some quick shots showing the completed rigging, except for the anchors. I finished adding the lifts then the braces, adding rope coils as I went along. I also tightened up and fixed the fore topG stay. The final steps are the anchors and the display stand. I am assembling the supplied anchors using black construction paper for the irons on the stocks. I wrapped the anchor rings with tan line and fixed the ends with some lacquer. I still need to trim the ends of the paper after the glue dries and tie the anchors to the lines I already installed on the model. I also added cat blocks to the cat heads, using a couple of left over double blocks, and will hook them onto the anchor rings. I will take better pictures when the model is completed, probably later this week.
  15. I now have all the yards attached to the masts with various parrels or slings. I replaced the black beads that came with the kit with brown seed beads that I had of roughly the same size. I am still in the process of running the ties for the topG yards down to the mast tops and deck. Without the lifts and braces attached the yards are not leveled yet. I have started rigging the lifts for the sprit sail yard and will be adding the lifts for all the yards next.
  16. Another milestone - the standing rigging is completed (almost). I left the fore topG stay loose for now in case I snag it (again) while adding the running rigging. Now its on to the running rigging, starting with adding the yards to the masts.
  17. Standing rigging of the main and fore top Gallant shrouds and stays continues. I added the topmast catharpins then the topG shrouds. I then added the main and fore topmast stays. I am currently tying the ratlines to the fore and main topmast shrouds, then I'll add them to the topG shrouds. I also added the mizzen crows feet. I am using the supplied 0.1mm thread for these. The first thing I had to figure out was how to thread these when the top has an even number of holes (it is supposed to have an odd number and the line is supposed to start at the euphroe). I sketched it out on paper and it took a few tries to get it, but then I used the sketch as a guide. Threading these requires running the line down through the mast top but also up from underneath. I found it impossible to thread the line from underneath even with CA on the line. Not being able to see the hole just made the end go limp after a few tries. So I tried using an eyeless needle, shown in the above image on the right, and it worked a treat. Here is how the crows feet came out. I have the blocks just tied off to the stay for now but I am pleased with the result so far.
  18. Mast rake from my notes when I built the Connie: 2.5 deg fore, 3 deg main, almost 4 deg mizzen I believe I measured these angles off the Model Shipways plans.
  19. I finished cleaning up the topmast shrouds and added the futtock staves. I used pieces of thin wire for these and tied them on with fly tying thread b because they are so small. That thread looks nice when done but it is sure a pain to work with. It is so thin that it is hard to grab and tye and being black it is very hard to see. But I persevered and eventually got them all tied on. I used some thin CA to fix the threads to the wire to really hold them in place. I started the ratlines with the mizzen topmast shrouds but I need to seize the topgallant shrouds to the topmast shrouds at the futtock staves before I can add the ratlines on the fore and main topmasts. I glued the fore and main topG masts in place but not before I added all the blocks (not like last time). I will now add the topG shrouds and the topmast ratlines, but I am also preparing to add the crows feet. I stropped 2mm single blocks to tie to the stays and also stropped them to the euphroes. Those blocks are the smallest I have ever worked with, but I was able to use the same technique I use on larger blocks. I also stropped hooks to thimbles for the ends of the preventer stays and the main topG stay.
  20. Stropping those blocks to the masts was not very difficult, so once they were in place I was able to add the topmast shrouds, the topmast stays and preventer stays, and the backstays. I served these lines like their lower counterparts. On the backstay pairs I seized a short piece of served line in the middle as a cut splice. Working from the mizzen mast to the fore mast, I first seized the deadeyes to the ends of the topmast shrouds and added the lanyards, but did not tighten them up yet. I then added the stay and preventer stay but again did not tighten the tackle lines yet. Finally I added the backstays, tightened them, then the stay and preventer stays, then finally the topmast shrouds. I found this the best way to keep everything taught without pulling the masts out of alignment. I am still working may way up to the bow, with the mizzen topmast just about finished. I had a bit of a scare when I was adding the fore topmast stay and preventer stay. I started to tighten the tackle lines and the bowsprit decided to come unglued and slid back into the hull. I realized that the only thing holding the bowsprit was the glue in the hole in the bitts which didn't; really make a good gluing surface. Nothing was pulling the bowsprit forward. So I held the bowsprit in the bitts with some clamps and drilled a small hole through the bitt into the bowsprit and put one of the nails that came with the kit into the hole. I cut off the excess nail and put a drop of brown paint on the end to hid it. Now the bowsprit can't move and I could continue rigging the stays. Next I'll be adding the topmast futtock staves and the ratlines, then rigging the topG shrouds on the fore and main masts.
  21. I have finished the standing rigging for the lower masts, including the futtock shrouds and ratlines. I have added the topmast to the three masts, which I glued in place to make sure they stay straight. I just wish I had remembered to include the few blocks I stropped previous that go between the mast top and the cap on the fore and mizzen masts. I will now have to strop them in place, which shouldn't be too much extra work.
  22. Thanks Glenn and for the likes. After a nice week's vacation in Canada I am back in the shop. I have finished installing the futtock staves and have started adding the catharpins and futtock shrouds. I apologize for the crappy photos but I find taking pictures of rigging not easy.
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