Blue Ensign

Thanks Alistair, It did cross my mind to partially plate it, and I seem to recall a contemporary model displayed that way. Can't find it for the life of me now, but I was reminded seeing the early stages of kevin's 'Indy' plating job with the plates partly running up the stem and keel posts, but left low in the centre. Just a thought, but I've got a while now before the question faces me again. Cheers, B.E.

Valid point James, and the waterline cutting factor has great appeal. 👍 Thanks for the clarification Chris, no criticism inferred. I like the look of both of them, and for me either would do an effective job on Indy. Were I to opt for plates, as cost isn't a factor, I would use the Vanguard set. Regards, B.E.

Post Fifty-two Copper To copper or not to copper that is the question. If to copper, is poncing around with copper tape to produce around 2500 indented plates worth saving the £150 cost of pre-formed plates or is it a worthy expense to preserve what remains of my sanity. Is it even worth bothering with nail indents at this scale? 023 (2011) I last coppered a ship back in 2011 with my Pegasus build. Once the plates were cleaned they were left to patinate naturally. I was pleased with the indented Amati plates which don’t look overscale to my eye. The Amati plates were also handed, and accommodated the overlap, without having to overlap, by having the indented perimeter nail heads on only two sides. These are not to be confused with the much pimpled copper plates supplied by Caldercraft, as used on their Pickle kit and others. I’m amazed they continue to issue this less than convincing version. I suspect that the specific plate sets from Vanguard originate from Amati, but these sets have the nail indentations around all sides of the individual plates. For those who don’t wish to bother with tape, there is a saving to be had by using the Amati versions. Seven sets of handed plates (2548 in total) will cost around £95 (£13.63 per set from CMB) The rub is getting them, they seem to be hard to find in stock at present. 1410 (2023) 1411 (2023) Difficult to photograph thro’ her case cover but this is the natural oxidation effect after 12 years, not that much different over the years but pleasing enough. As usual I am racked with indecision; the ‘Indy’ hull is I think good enough to leave bare, but then I quite like the look of a coppered hull, and coppering adds hours of fun to the build time, increasing the time frame before I am tempted by the next wonderment to issue forth from the Forest of Dean. When in doubt do nowt; Having pondered overnight I have decided to plank the gun deck which won’t preclude me from inverting the hull for plating at a later stage, should I ever make my mind up.🙄 B.E. 16/07/2023

Thanks Ron, I usually do a preliminary check and sort of wood strips. The Pear I got from Hobbymill EU was very consistent for colour, and I just used it as it came, it worked out fine. Staining always has a risk, and in some areas on the port side Boxwood it came out patchy. A re-scrape, and re-application sorted the problem. B.E

I do have some Vallejo Acrylic Varnish. I am interested to know why this is applied before the scraping. Read the post again Glenn. B.E.

Glad you enjoyed your hols Glenn, and that your back is improving. A good scraping will make a world of difference to the deck, but I would be very cautious about applying wood stain, you may find it results in patchiness, beyond the natural colour tones of the wood. With Boxwood (which I always use for decks) I use a water based matt varnish following scraping. Admiralty paints used to do a flat matt varnish, but on Sphinx I used Vallejo Matt Acrylic Varnish. ps nice job on relocating those gun securing slots around the margin. B.E.

Post Fifty-one Boxwood hull planking I had in mind from the outset that the Boxwood above the wale planking would echo the ‘yellow paint generally applied to these vessels. Not that I will be following the realistic painting scheme of the era. As a Navy Board style model I will apply a degree of artistic licence, and follow the tradition of contemporary models in using minimal paint. This also means that I will allow the natural boxwood planking to follow the sheer rather than the deck line paint job which was the fashion of the time. The Topsides consist of pre-cut Pearwood sheets of plain wood with added mouldings and rails. At the lower edge a rail below the channel line will cover the join between pear and Box. 1424 In its bare form the Boxwood is too pale for my liking, so I have been looking at methods to enrich it somewhat. Application of w-o-p darkens the tone but not quite to the degree I have in mind. 1427 Having tested various combinations on Box strip I decided on using Colron English light oak Wood dye. 1428 Three coats have been applied by brush, immediately wiping off with a soft cloth. A coat of w-o-p was then applied to seal the effect. 1432 1433 At this point the aftermost gunports have been fully cut into the wales which were then repainted. Onwards….. B.E. 15/07/2023

Hi Chris, What’s the difference with these to the kit supplied version? B.E.

Not a problem Chris, you’ve got to leave something to challenge us.😉 B.E.

Always a good result when the Qtr galleries line up with the stern gallery, well done Kevin.👍 Fills me with dread whenever I approach that area of work, it's such an important feature of the hull. B.E.

Post Fifty. Time to add a coat of w-o-p. I make my own up using spirit based Black friar clear satin Poly varnish diluted 50% using white spirit. Applied sparingly with a soft cloth the first application will reveal those areas that may need more attention. Application of w-o-p darkens the pearwood, and brings out the richness, but of more importance the overall tone of the wood is uniform and consistent. 1419 1418 1416 1414 1420 The colour tone is close to what I had hoped for to contrast with the Boxwood and is not far off the patination I would aspire to achieve were I to copper the hull. That’s a story for another time. B.E. 14/07/2023

Cheers Guy's, thanks for looking in. @ Ron - An especially good job on conforming the one-piece wale. Unlike Sphinx, Chris opted not to provide a laser etched wale, and indicated use of three 5mm strips for the purpose. On my 'Indy' the wales are made up of four strakes of Top and Butt planking which I felt provided a more authentic look. Regards, B.E.

Post Forty-nine Sanding the hull For this I’m using a combination of 120 and 320 grit papers for the initial clean up. 1391 As I go, I collect the pear dust for use in any minor gaps between the planking. After a full day of sanding and stiffening fingers, I think I’m nearly there. 1395 1400 1402 1403 1404 1407 I’ll review it in the morning, and once I've had a general tidy up in my office, perhaps wop a coat of wop on it. B.E. 13/07/2023

Yeah, me neither 8070 B.E.

Thanks Kevin, Andy, and Alistair, and for the 'likes' - much appreciated. @ Andy - the jury is still out on the coppering question. @ Alistair - don't know about a masterpiece, but I'm fairly satisfied that the planking will be good enough to give me the 'unadorned' option. Post Forty-eight Planking completion. 1364 Two strakes to go and the hull is re-marked for the last time to shape the planks. 1365 The final strake. 1372 Last plank and completion. 1374 1375 1376 Complete. 🍾 Altho’ it feels I’ve spent a long time doing the second planking it has only been 25 active working days including the drop planks and Top and butt wale planking. Not very long in overall terms for a build of this magnitude. The work does involve several re-markings of the strake lines on the hull to keep things on track, the transfer of each reference point on the planks cut to scale, and the necessary tapering and spiling to get the fit. There were failures along the way but the incidence of scrapping planks was thankfully low. 1380 1381 1382 1390 Onto the sanding and cleaning up the hull. B.E. 12/07/2023

Post Forty-seven Nearly there! With ten strakes to go the trickiest part is the sharp bends and twists where the planks abut the stern post. 1292 In this example the plank is wider at the end than the otherwise tapered run. 1340 The planks sometimes take on a serpentine shape. Over the weekend I made a concerted effort to push ahead with the planking and I put in two longish days at the workbench. 1327 The serpentine shape of the planking runs is evident here but I am now happy that there will be no crowding of the planks at the stem. 1333 I have concentrated on the bow planking as this is the most critical area, and I am pleased that there is no excessive sny as the planks follow the round of the bow. Two days later…….. 1363 1361 Two strakes left and they will be of pretty uniform shape - I’m relieved to see. 1351 1360 A small satisfaction to be had when both sides match. 1355 My shipyard assistant casts a critical eye over my efforts, is he impressed, hard to tell, but I'm satisfied. 🙂 Cheers, B.E. 11/07/2023.

Post Forty-six Planking continues. One of the downsides of the ‘Indy’ hull is the sheer size and weight which becomes very wearing given the constant need to turn it about and shift it from inverted to upright and back again to check the run of the planking. I’ve obviously spent too much time on small hulls in recent times, I think back fondly to those fine little fishing boats and even Sphinx, which at the time I also thought was a big beast, but seems quite small now. Not moaning, just musing, - on with the show. 1290 I have now re-marked the hull with the plank widths at each reference point. Sixteen 5mm planks are now required at the two central bulkheads ‘M’ and ‘9’. Another week and this is the state of play, now four months into the build. 1305 1304 I am now planking alternatively from wale down and keel up, it is a slow business and I’m achieving around two strakes a day. 1306 1308 1316 1318 1317 1319 I am closely watching the run of planks at the bow, and at this point I will re-mark the runs, hopefully for the last time. 1320 Tapering is now a feature from around Bulkhead 11 to the stern, but towards the keel the boards also broaden out a little. 1323 1324 Little by little the gap is closing, and the finish line is in sight. Ten strakes are now required, and another week should see the second planking completed. B.E 08/07/2023

Cheers Guys for your ongoing interest. @ Glenn - wise words, it is the same on Indy, it is between 3 and five that the sny can get excessive. @ Allan - Already in hand, I fined the wale down following fitting, and it will be done slightly more when I get around to final finishing. Regards, B.E.

A fine job Kevin, I imagine you're a lot happier with the build now than you were a few weeks ago. The copper against the black hull looks very striking.👍 B.E.

Looking good Kevin, should be completed by the weekend.👍 Are you intending to keep it bright or weather it a little? B.E.

POST Forty-five As planking continues, I become aware of an undesirable feature developing. The word is snying. In this context it relates to the excessive upward curve of a plank where the centre is higher than the extremities. 1258 This is a common problem in the bow area and I note on my hull there are slight indications of it developing eight strakes down from the wale. Probably due to deficiencies in my lining off/and or incorrect tapering, it occurs where the planks are edge bent as they round the bow, and strake upon strake, the effect is magnified. 1260 My solution is to remove a section of the last fixed bow plank, and spile in a new section to reduce the extremity of the curve for the next plank to lie against. 1261 Fortunately, the section came away cleanly without too much effort. 1262 The spiled insert is not easy to spot and is a better option than carrying on regardless with the result of visible excessive snying. 1263 With ten strakes now completed each side I am now below the waterline, and the planking runs looks better to my eye. 1268 1277 I’m about a third of the way down the hull, I will now add a further strake above the Garboard, re-check the strake arrangement, and carry on......... B.E. 03.07/2023

Looking very impressive Yves, love the bow shot of her on her building cradle. B.E.

Post Forty-four The first Band. I am using fairly scale lengths with a 140mm maximum and around 45mm minimum lengths. 1219 I am not going for a set sequence of repeat patterns, but I am giving mind to the positions of butts on adjacent strakes. For deck planking I will take a more structured approach. 1224 I plank side and side about, and Ca is used throughout, with a pot of Acetone handy for wiping excess from plank faces as I go along. 1251 The required shape for the bow timbers is transferred to the planks, which are dampened, tapered, edge bent, bevelled, and generally fettled to fit. I found this necessary from around Bulkhead five to the stem. 1231 1253 One of the advantages of the Indy hull is that apart from the bow area there are long sections of using full width planks which proceeds quite quickly. 1247 Looking a bit rough at this stage, but I now need to re-mark the hull for the next band of planking. Onwards…. B.E. 01/07/2023

Post Forty-three The Preparation I have (26) 5mm planks at midships which are marked off on the hull using a tick strip. I intend to work a first band of six strakes below the existing planking, and I’m looking to have the plank ends at the stem not less than 3mm in width. With this in mind, I apply the lining tape. 1173 1179 The first application of the tape, now the tweaking begins. In these shots the upper tape marks the line of the first section. I am aiming to get a smooth sweep up to the stem using edge bent and tapered strips only. I hope to avoid the need for spiling except perhaps when I reach the under belly of the hull. The trouble with lining off is deciding when it is at its optimum line. This process is more art than arithmetic and I find myself in an agony of indecision wondering whether I have reached that point. Using strip wood there is inevitably error creep strake upon strake, so I will fit the first section and then recalculate. The following photos show the point where I think I am getting close to an acceptable run. 1191 1193 1195 1199 1212 1205 1207 1203a I think it needs a slight tweak as indicated. 1216 This looks better to my eye. I can now proceed to mark off the strake widths at each bulkhead point and begin planking. B.E. 27/06/2023.

So, you could be up for another 30hrs work to complete both sides, a testing exercise Kevin, and that's without any consideration of copper nail heads.🫤 She will look good tho' with the copper against the black.👍 B.E.