dcicero

Thanks again to everyone who helped out with the research associated with Taggart's Eagle Scout project.  It's finished off now and they had a very nice ceremony at the VFW Hall.  I thought everyone here might want to see the write-up that appeared in the local paper.
 
 
 
Dan
 
11212013 The Voice _Tag's Eagle Project.pdf
 
 

Thanks again to everyone who helped out with the research associated with Taggart's Eagle Scout project.  It's finished off now and they had a very nice ceremony at the VFW Hall.  I thought everyone here might want to see the write-up that appeared in the local paper.
 
 
 
Dan
 
11212013 The Voice _Tag's Eagle Project.pdf
 
 

There's a company here in the US that makes posters with demotivating statements on them, a kind of antidote to all those motivational posters one finds in many offices.  This one's my favorite:
 

 
This is the story of my modeling life...  My work serves as a warning to others.
 
Following Chuck's earlier advice, I sanded the caprail down more, as far as I thought I could go without doing more harm than good to the model.  They're as narrow as I can make them now.
 
After attaching the friezes and then adding the rail below them, I noticed some inconsistency along the length of the boat.  Here's a photo of the port side from the most unflattering angle.
 

 
I wrote an email to BobF and asked his advice.  He told me that, if I'd been using white glue, I should be able to loosen it up with water and adjust the rail.  I had used white glue, but I was still a little concerned that I would mess up the frieze by messing around with water.  Not to worry, though.  Using a small amount of water and a little piece of boxwood I had around, I cajoled the rail back into true.  When the glue dried again, it was in the right place.
 
Reading Chuck's instructions again and looking at some of the other logs here, I became convinced that I'd done the stern frieze incorrectly.  According to the instructions, the white stripe around the frieze should be 1/32" wide.  Mine was more like 3/32", so I decided to re-do that too.  I cut out a larger frieze, with the white part.  I sanded the old one off.  This would be the third time around for that stern freize.  The first I removed by wetting it, which caused the transom to swell and threatened to loosen the planks surrounding it.  Sanding it off got around that problem.
 

 
Note, I also put the stern block in place and trimmed the false keel down to the right length.
 
I wanted to add the extra plank shown in the NMM photos and which Bob had installed on his model.  Bob helped me out with dimensions for those planks and I carefully made up a couple.  I cut them down to a width of 3/32" first and then sanded them to 1/64" thickness, a time consuming project which, if done too fast, results in splintered planks.  My advice:  go slowly.
 

 
Here are those planks, installed.  You can see the marked improvement in the rails below the friezes.
 

 

 
And here's the new stern frieze.
 

 
I did plank the hull from the bottom up and that resulted in an odd-looking run of planks at the sheer.  The friezes and the extra plank go a long way toward correcting that odd appearance.  The run of planks looks much better now, I think, and the extra plank is more consistent with the prototype.  Straightening out that rail makes a world of difference and I think the stern frieze looks quite a lot better now too.  (There's still some trimming needed on that frieze.  That'll be done tomorrow.)  Then it's off to the paint shop for the boat!
 
 
 
Dan

There's a company here in the US that makes posters with demotivating statements on them, a kind of antidote to all those motivational posters one finds in many offices.  This one's my favorite:
 

 
This is the story of my modeling life...  My work serves as a warning to others.
 
Following Chuck's earlier advice, I sanded the caprail down more, as far as I thought I could go without doing more harm than good to the model.  They're as narrow as I can make them now.
 
After attaching the friezes and then adding the rail below them, I noticed some inconsistency along the length of the boat.  Here's a photo of the port side from the most unflattering angle.
 

 
I wrote an email to BobF and asked his advice.  He told me that, if I'd been using white glue, I should be able to loosen it up with water and adjust the rail.  I had used white glue, but I was still a little concerned that I would mess up the frieze by messing around with water.  Not to worry, though.  Using a small amount of water and a little piece of boxwood I had around, I cajoled the rail back into true.  When the glue dried again, it was in the right place.
 
Reading Chuck's instructions again and looking at some of the other logs here, I became convinced that I'd done the stern frieze incorrectly.  According to the instructions, the white stripe around the frieze should be 1/32" wide.  Mine was more like 3/32", so I decided to re-do that too.  I cut out a larger frieze, with the white part.  I sanded the old one off.  This would be the third time around for that stern freize.  The first I removed by wetting it, which caused the transom to swell and threatened to loosen the planks surrounding it.  Sanding it off got around that problem.
 

 
Note, I also put the stern block in place and trimmed the false keel down to the right length.
 
I wanted to add the extra plank shown in the NMM photos and which Bob had installed on his model.  Bob helped me out with dimensions for those planks and I carefully made up a couple.  I cut them down to a width of 3/32" first and then sanded them to 1/64" thickness, a time consuming project which, if done too fast, results in splintered planks.  My advice:  go slowly.
 

 
Here are those planks, installed.  You can see the marked improvement in the rails below the friezes.
 

 

 
And here's the new stern frieze.
 

 
I did plank the hull from the bottom up and that resulted in an odd-looking run of planks at the sheer.  The friezes and the extra plank go a long way toward correcting that odd appearance.  The run of planks looks much better now, I think, and the extra plank is more consistent with the prototype.  Straightening out that rail makes a world of difference and I think the stern frieze looks quite a lot better now too.  (There's still some trimming needed on that frieze.  That'll be done tomorrow.)  Then it's off to the paint shop for the boat!
 
 
 
Dan

There's a company here in the US that makes posters with demotivating statements on them, a kind of antidote to all those motivational posters one finds in many offices.  This one's my favorite:
 

 
This is the story of my modeling life...  My work serves as a warning to others.
 
Following Chuck's earlier advice, I sanded the caprail down more, as far as I thought I could go without doing more harm than good to the model.  They're as narrow as I can make them now.
 
After attaching the friezes and then adding the rail below them, I noticed some inconsistency along the length of the boat.  Here's a photo of the port side from the most unflattering angle.
 

 
I wrote an email to BobF and asked his advice.  He told me that, if I'd been using white glue, I should be able to loosen it up with water and adjust the rail.  I had used white glue, but I was still a little concerned that I would mess up the frieze by messing around with water.  Not to worry, though.  Using a small amount of water and a little piece of boxwood I had around, I cajoled the rail back into true.  When the glue dried again, it was in the right place.
 
Reading Chuck's instructions again and looking at some of the other logs here, I became convinced that I'd done the stern frieze incorrectly.  According to the instructions, the white stripe around the frieze should be 1/32" wide.  Mine was more like 3/32", so I decided to re-do that too.  I cut out a larger frieze, with the white part.  I sanded the old one off.  This would be the third time around for that stern freize.  The first I removed by wetting it, which caused the transom to swell and threatened to loosen the planks surrounding it.  Sanding it off got around that problem.
 

 
Note, I also put the stern block in place and trimmed the false keel down to the right length.
 
I wanted to add the extra plank shown in the NMM photos and which Bob had installed on his model.  Bob helped me out with dimensions for those planks and I carefully made up a couple.  I cut them down to a width of 3/32" first and then sanded them to 1/64" thickness, a time consuming project which, if done too fast, results in splintered planks.  My advice:  go slowly.
 

 
Here are those planks, installed.  You can see the marked improvement in the rails below the friezes.
 

 

 
And here's the new stern frieze.
 

 
I did plank the hull from the bottom up and that resulted in an odd-looking run of planks at the sheer.  The friezes and the extra plank go a long way toward correcting that odd appearance.  The run of planks looks much better now, I think, and the extra plank is more consistent with the prototype.  Straightening out that rail makes a world of difference and I think the stern frieze looks quite a lot better now too.  (There's still some trimming needed on that frieze.  That'll be done tomorrow.)  Then it's off to the paint shop for the boat!
 
 
 
Dan

Progress;
 

 

 
Banished to the shed again so made good use of my time.  Much scraping and sanding and a touch of filler.  Still a bit rougher than I would like but better than I had originally thought possible.  Should have sanded the inside face of the planks before I attached them as they are very rough but can't do much about it now.  ( Next time...) 
 
Jay - Thanks for the support!
 
Amfibius - Like what you are doing with the Launch and excited to see how it goes together.  Hope you like my little efforts.
 
I'll let this harden off overnight and see what I can get up too tomorrow.  Much fun sanding away while listening to the Boxing Day Test.  More adventures to come but this part was the one that had me most worried.  So it is nice to have it in the bag.
 
Thanks for stopping by to have a look.
 
Dan

A little more progess has been made ... and more questions raised.
 
I got the caprail installed and I think it looks great.  Lots of sanding involved in this, but nothing difficult at all.
 

 
And then it was on to the friezes.  I was dreading this step because it really looked like it was going to be a tough thing to pull off, but, in the end, it went very smoothly.  I cut the friezes out and attached them with white glue.
 

 
 
 

 
The stern frieze was a little more difficult and here's where the question comes in.  Looking at the other pictures here on the forum, it looked as if Chuck attached the colored part of the frieze and painted around it.  It looks like Toni adhered the entire frieze, with the white part, and then cut around it.  Looked to me like this was a judgement call ... so I made the call and adhered just the colored part of the frieze.
 

 
Did I make the right call?
 
Aligning the frieze, I found, was the most difficult part of the operation.  What you see above is my second attempt ... in keeping with my practice of building everything at least twice.  The glue dried so fast on the first attempt that I couldn't nudge it into place.  I removed it, cut another frieze out and attached it as you see above.
 
Based on Bob's recommendations, I used a small amount of Elmer's White Carpenter's Wood Putty to fill in the small gaps at the bow.  (You can see that filler in the pictures.)  Now that I've made this call on the stern, I'm going to need a little bit of putty there too.
 
As for paints, I couldn't find a place that had the Badger paints, but after discussing what I was looking for with the guys at Al's Hobby Shop, I chose Model Master Acrylics.  That's my next step!
 
 
 
Dan
 
 

Time for another update...
 
Toni and Bob had a look at my Long Boat at Saturday's meeting of The Nautical Research and Model Ship Society of Chicago and provided some great guidance.  Here's the thing.  The last two strakes are distorted at the bow, as you can see here.
 

 
If I were to continue planking, that distortion would just get worse and the end product wouldn't be to my liking.  Just my personality, but that's the kind of thing that would bother me to my grave, so I made the decision to do some deconstruction.  That started on Sunday.
 

 
Because I'd secured the planks with white glue -- good call in retrospect -- wetting the joints softened the glue and allowed me to remove them without too much trouble.  To be sure, there was some clean-up needed, but, in the end, everything worked out fine.
 
 
 
Looking at Toni and Bob's garboard strake, they look a lot like mine.  (Toni recommended I cut the garboard back some more.  I'm thinking I can just thin it a little bit to reduce the amount the next planks need to curve.)
 
 
 
Now it's time to give it another try.  Here are a few things I'm going to do differently:
 
Just wet the planks rather than cook them.  I know heating them in the microwave makes them as pliable as noodles, but the consensus was that it's overkill for what I'm trying to achieve. Take the edge bending slowly.  After one bend, mine would snap back into shape.  Bob tells me it can take a couple of attempts before the plank keeps the desired shape. Carve the plank to fit.  I was under the impression that I could just bend the planks into shape.  Now I know I have to do both:  bend and carve to get the plank into the proper form. Just hold the plank in place while adhering it to the frames.  I was using too much clamp pressure and deforming the planks.  I think this will help avoid the problems I had before with putting big divots in the planks.  
Let's see how this works!
 

Not a great deal of progress to report, but here's what I've been working on lately.
 
I cut the top strake down ... too much.  Certainly it needed cutting down at the transom.  There was no room for the caprail otherwise, but, when I laid that batten down to mark the sheer line, it looked like I needed to take some off the bow too.  I went at it, cutting down below the notch in the stem.  When I'd done that, I realized that 1) I'd taken all the sheer out and 2) that the stem was now far too high.  If I'd left it like that, the caprail wouldn't even have covered up the notch in the stem.
 
Time for some surgery...
 
I built the top plank up again and repaired the frames that I'd cut down too far.  I also reinforced the filler pieces at the bow.  Here's what it looks like now.
 

 
And here's the stern, the part I did right!
 

 
So here's what the sheer line looks like now.  Not really very pronounced...
 

 
And then I started making the caprail.  I ripped the thin board wide enough to make one of the caprails.
 

 
Then I traced the outline of the hull.
 

 
Then I drew a second line 1/8" inboard of the first.
 

 
I'll make the other side tonight.  I need to get a strip of Evergreen plastic to use as a spacer, like BobF did, so I can sand this down to its final shape.
 
As for the sheer, I think I need to use the caprail to identify any high or low spots on the sheer line.  I'm having a hard time seeing it the way it is.  I may make the sheer a little more pronounced, but I'm worried about making it uneven -- port to starboard -- and feel I need some kind of reference to check against.  The caprail should do that for me.
 
 
 
Dan

I have been lacking in my updates!  I am involved in the final steps of rigging but I wanted to provide a few photos of what I have been doing.  Built the boom and gaff using provided materials in the kit.  Pretty straight forward and fairly easy to install and rig. 
Built the chainplates and deadeyes using the CA method that Chuck describes in his instructions.  Seem to come out pretty good.
 
   Bob R.

Not a great deal of progress to report, but here's what I've been working on lately.
 
I cut the top strake down ... too much.  Certainly it needed cutting down at the transom.  There was no room for the caprail otherwise, but, when I laid that batten down to mark the sheer line, it looked like I needed to take some off the bow too.  I went at it, cutting down below the notch in the stem.  When I'd done that, I realized that 1) I'd taken all the sheer out and 2) that the stem was now far too high.  If I'd left it like that, the caprail wouldn't even have covered up the notch in the stem.
 
Time for some surgery...
 
I built the top plank up again and repaired the frames that I'd cut down too far.  I also reinforced the filler pieces at the bow.  Here's what it looks like now.
 

 
And here's the stern, the part I did right!
 

 
So here's what the sheer line looks like now.  Not really very pronounced...
 

 
And then I started making the caprail.  I ripped the thin board wide enough to make one of the caprails.
 

 
Then I traced the outline of the hull.
 

 
Then I drew a second line 1/8" inboard of the first.
 

 
I'll make the other side tonight.  I need to get a strip of Evergreen plastic to use as a spacer, like BobF did, so I can sand this down to its final shape.
 
As for the sheer, I think I need to use the caprail to identify any high or low spots on the sheer line.  I'm having a hard time seeing it the way it is.  I may make the sheer a little more pronounced, but I'm worried about making it uneven -- port to starboard -- and feel I need some kind of reference to check against.  The caprail should do that for me.
 
 
 
Dan

I've thinned all the frames out.  Tonight I cut down the ends of the frames.  I only snapped off three of them.  You can see one of them in this photo, glued back in.
 
Here's the question.  It's time to, as Chuck says in the instructions, "sand the tops of the frames and the sheer to get a smooth run bow to stern."  One could, I think, say I have that now, but in other photos, it looks like the top of the top plank should be a little lower on the transom.  Mine is level with the top of the transom.
 
I'm thinking I need to taper the aft end of that plank to give myself some room on the transom for the cap rail.  Am I thinking about this correctly?  Should it be about the thickness of the cap rail?  (That's my guess.)
 
 
 
Dan

I've thinned all the frames out.  Tonight I cut down the ends of the frames.  I only snapped off three of them.  You can see one of them in this photo, glued back in.
 
Here's the question.  It's time to, as Chuck says in the instructions, "sand the tops of the frames and the sheer to get a smooth run bow to stern."  One could, I think, say I have that now, but in other photos, it looks like the top of the top plank should be a little lower on the transom.  Mine is level with the top of the transom.
 
I'm thinking I need to taper the aft end of that plank to give myself some room on the transom for the cap rail.  Am I thinking about this correctly?  Should it be about the thickness of the cap rail?  (That's my guess.)
 
 
 
Dan

Thanks, Geoff.  I'm going to have to look around at Home Depot for those cutters.
 
I did some more fairing of the frames last night.  It is slow work.  I used some Dremel sanding disks (220 grit) that fit my Harbor Freight rotary tool.  That helped out a lot, as you can see.
 

 
I followed up with a lot of sanding with my good old sanding stick.  I put a rounded end on it using my belt sander.  That allowed me to work on curved surfaces a little better.  It's still slow work, though.
 
And it's rough with any of these methods to get in the tight spots at the bow and, to a lesser extent, the stern.
 

 
Anyone got a good method for doing this?  As you can see, there's still some thinning that needs to be done on those forwardmost franes.  You can still see char marks from where the bulkheads were broken out.  Farther aft, those marks are gone because I could think the keelson down to the top of the frame.
 
 
Dan

With the planking job complete, it was time to remove the bulkheads.
 
Taking yet another cue from BobF, I bought a small rotary tool from Harbor Freight Tools.  (Part Number  #97626)
 

 
This tool retails for $10.49, which is pretty cheap, all things considered, but, with a coupon -- and for those unfamiliar with Harbor Freight Tools, they send out a lot of coupons -- I wound up paying about $9.00, including tax for it.
 
That's a great price, but you do get what you pay for.  There's no comparison between this tool and my Dremel.  The fit of the chuck isn't as good.  The motor is clearly not as good because there's some play when it starts running.  That said, it does the job.
 
There's a store near here, in Geneva, IL, called American Science and Surplus that carries all kinds of weird stuff:  electronic components, telescopes, pencil erasers shaped like brains...  You've got to go there to believe what they have.  If you have a minute, check it out here:  http://www.sciplus.com/
 
I found a foot pedal speed control there for just $17.50.  This is a heavy duty thing, but it works really well with the rotary tool.  (Here's a link, if you're curious:  http://www.sciplus.com/p/FOOT-PEDAL-SPEED-CONTROL-120-VAC_43485)
 

 
So I was about to start removing the bulkheads.  I looked over Bob's build log again.  I consulted Chuck's instructions.  I went at the first bulkhead slowly, using the edge of a flat file.  It took forever.  And the bulkhead did seem to move around quite a lot, so I stabilized it as best I could.  Finally, the bulkhead came out.  That was it for that night's work.
 
Next night, I did the same thing, but this time, part of the frame snapped off.  Like Chuck says in the instructions, make sure those frames are secured to the top two planks.  Mine weren't and I snapped the top part of the frame off getting the bulkhead out.  I glued it back in.  Work ended for that night.
 
On night three, I was starting to get a little frustrated with the whole process.  A big part of the reason the end of the frame snapped off was the slow -- and not very efficient -- cutting of the tabs on the top of the bulkhead.  I'll fix this, I thought.  I'll violate all the rules.  I'll disregard the guidance of all the guys who know more than me!  I'll do something that all the evidence says will turn out badly.
 
Yeah.  That's the ticket.
 
I fired up the rotary tool...
 
Gotta say, it worked just fine.  That little tool, although a little wobbly, when coupled with the speed control, is pretty handy for this kind of thing.  It cut right through the basswood bulkheads, fast, and without the wobbling that caused the top of the frame to snap off.  I did the rest of the frames in one sitting.
 

 

 

 
Now that the bulkheads are out, I do need to make sure they're all secured to the top two planks.  My thought is to shim them, where necessary, and add more glue.  There are some gaps there, but they're so small I couldn't even get a decent picture of them.  Should be a pretty simple thing to get them shored up.
 
Anyone got any guidance about how to do that?
 
And then it's off to fairing all those frames and making the little hull look like a boat.
 
 
 
 
Dan
 

Done!
 
In a marathon late night session last night, I finished my longboat. I tied the last of the rope coils into place, glued the handles on and officially declared victory. I just couldn't go one more day saying that it should be finished by tomorrow.
 
I'll post a full set of pics in the gallery shortly.
 
I ended up not including the grappling anchor as the casting seemed too big for the model, especially after looking at Chuck's prototype which has an anchor I really like. Perhaps in the future I'll fashion one that's smaller, but it seemed unnecessary, so I left it out. Also, I did flub the location of the flag halliards and put them on the port side instead of the starboard side as given in the instructions. That didn't seem like it was critical, so I left that as well. 
 
Here's a final pic with more to be posted in the gallery shortly.
 

 
 
This started out as a kit that I thought was "nice" and ended up being a really fun and challenging build that tested my skills, taught me a few things, and turned out to be a pretty sweet looking model. Chuck did a wonderful job on this kit design I have to say.
 
I'll be building a case for it in the near future, but at least it's under a dust cover now. 
 
Clare
 

It's taken a while, but the hull is planked!
 
As I mentioned above, after those initial four planks are in place, the process does go more smoothly.  I've learned that the second attempt is always better than the first, when it comes to these kinds of projects.  As I finished the planking off, I considered just chucking the whole thing, getting another kit and starting over.  If I were to do this again, I think the result would be much better.
 
That said, I'm happy with this result.
 

 

 

 
A few posts back, I mentioned the tiny gap between the rabbel and the third plank.  Here it is, compared with the rest of the planks.  It's very small and I think I'll fill it in with a little putty.
 

 
One thing I would definitely do differently were I to do this again is to be more careful about beveling the planks as I went along.  I was very concerned about the joints at the bow and stern, but less so about the longtitudinal joint between adjacent planks.  That has made more sanding necessary, but then I didn't want to sand too much because then the hull just becomes completely featureless.
 

 

 
On to bigger and better things!
 
 
 
 
Dan

Again, thanks very much!
 
I've passed all this information along to Taggart and have done a little googling around to see what I can find.  I'm betting the presentation is going to be pretty good!
 
 
 
Dan

Again, thanks very much!
 
I've passed all this information along to Taggart and have done a little googling around to see what I can find.  I'm betting the presentation is going to be pretty good!
 
 
 
Dan

It's taken a while, but the hull is planked!
 
As I mentioned above, after those initial four planks are in place, the process does go more smoothly.  I've learned that the second attempt is always better than the first, when it comes to these kinds of projects.  As I finished the planking off, I considered just chucking the whole thing, getting another kit and starting over.  If I were to do this again, I think the result would be much better.
 
That said, I'm happy with this result.
 

 

 

 
A few posts back, I mentioned the tiny gap between the rabbel and the third plank.  Here it is, compared with the rest of the planks.  It's very small and I think I'll fill it in with a little putty.
 

 
One thing I would definitely do differently were I to do this again is to be more careful about beveling the planks as I went along.  I was very concerned about the joints at the bow and stern, but less so about the longtitudinal joint between adjacent planks.  That has made more sanding necessary, but then I didn't want to sand too much because then the hull just becomes completely featureless.
 

 

 
On to bigger and better things!
 
 
 
 
Dan

Thanks, Jay!  This is just great stuff and will help a great deal.
 
I continue to be amazed by the amount of knowledge possessed by the people here on Model Ship World.  And thanks for your service.  There aren't a lot of people who'd sign up for that EOD job, I'm sure, but someone's got to do it!
 
 
 
 
Dan

Wayne, this is tremendous!
 
Thanks for posting.  I downloaded the reference and I'll bet I can find some additional information.
 
Believe it or not, the Goss Printing Press Company still exists.  They're Goss International now.  The company's been bought and sold a few times.  I dropped them an email to see if they had any information.
 
I'm also planning to talk with the research librarian at the local library.  There's probably some information out there about moving the gun from the park to the VFW hall and about putting the gun in place in the park.  There are a couple of really big naval guns still in the park, so there was probably a ceremony of some kind when they were put there and that would have been reported in the Aurora Beacon-News.
 
 
 
Dan

All:
 
A friend's son is working on his Eagle Scout project.  He contacted a local VFW hall and asked if he could clean up the gun outside the post.  Here's a picture.
 
 
 
There's a nameplate on the gun which identifies the carriage as a 4" carriage, Mark XII, Mod 1.  It was built by the Goss Printing Press Company of Chicago, IL in 1918.
 
 
 
The gun was moved to the VFW hall a long time ago from a park in Aurora, IL.  No one has any information about it.  The project is finished now.  The base was cleaned and painted.  The old paint was scraped off and the gun repainted.  All the brass has been shined.  All the weeds have been removed, new flower beds cut in and mulch laid down.  The gun looks much better than it did.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
To finish the project off, the new Eagle Scout is going to make a presentation to the VFW Post.  I'd like to help him put in some information about the gun itself.
 
Anyone got any ideas what this gun is?  Where might it have been used?  (I'm thinking it might have been a coast defense gun.) 
 
 
 
Dan

Although it's been a while since I posted an update, I have made some progress on the Long Boat.
 
First, I installed the transom.  As everyone has said, there isn't much of an attachment area, so reinforcing it with some scrap wood is pretty much a necessity.  Here are a couple of pictures taken before those reinforcing strips were installed.
 
 
 
Echoing, again, what a lot of people have noted, after installing those first four planks, things get a little easier.  The bends on the planks are a little less severe.  There's more room to work.  And the transom is held in place by those planks.  Here's a view of planks five and six in place.
 

 
There are some tiny gaps between the planks close to the stern post.  I'l going to fill those with some wood slivers when the planking job is done.  I haven't sanded anything yet, figuring its best to wait until all the planks are in place before doing that.
 
The bow turned out a lot better than I had anticipated.  A little experience goes a long way in this case.  (And listening to experience helps too.  Thanks, BobF!)  I've been using the Magic Tape method, putting a piece of tape on the model, stem to stern, and tracing the outline with a pencil.  (Note:  Don't use a pen.  The ink comes off on the plank!)  Take the tape and stick it to a piece of card stock.  Cut the template out and fit it against the model again, just to check its fit.
 
I've taken to trimming the plank down to its greatest width before bending it.  Just seems to work better that way and saves time later. 
 
Get the plank wet.  (No more microwave ovens for me!)  And it'll bend to conform to the template without buckling (mostly).  Let it dry and then do it again.  Seems like two trips to the template will do it.
 
Once the plank is bent fore and aft -- to conform to the sheer of the hull -- wet it again.  It doesn't take much water at this point.  Bend it athwartships to make the bend around the bow.  That can take a little time to get it right, but it's not difficult at all.
 
Finally, the tricky part is carving the angle in the end of the plank to conform with the rabbet.  I take it slow on this, sanding very lightly to get the correct angle and bending the plank a little bit as I go along.  When gluing it, I really press it into the rabbet ... and that, of course, is how I snapped off the stem!  (Everyone warned me.  I thought I could avoid it.  I saved the little piece and will glue it back on later...)
 

 
And here's how the boat looks from the side and bottom.
 

 

 
I've got a few more planks installed since I took these pictures.  I'm very pleased with how they went on and how the model looks.  I was a little nervous, when these pictures were taken, that the planks looked wavy.  Now that I have a couple more in place after these, it's apparent that that was an optical illusion.  Those planks bending around the turn of the bilge and conforming with the sheer of the hull ... there are a lot of angles involved in all that.
 
I think I have another four or five planks to go.  Got to say, this planking job is pretty tedious and time consuming.  I'm confident the result will be worth it, but I'd really like to be through this part of the construction!
 
 
 
 
Dan
 
 
 
 

I used 5 minute epoxy to glue the gudgeons and pintles in place.  Although a little messy, this usually gives me plenty of time to get the pieces lined up properly, and remove the excess adhesive.  I always start out with the lower pintle, which in this case, was attached to the stern post.

In order to properly line up the lower gudgeon, I used some miniature clamps, and a strip of L-shaped basswood, which kept the bottom of the rudder lined up with the bottom of the keel.  This worked really well.



I decided to find the proper location for the upper gudgeon before I painted the model and attached the transom frieze.  In the photo the gudgeon is only press-fitted in place.  I don't think it'll be a problem relocating it later on ... at least I hope not!
 
BobF