MEDDO

I promised Jorge to show the whale near the counter.  I planked the counter over the first layer of wales and the second layer of wale over it.  It makes shaping the counter edges with a sanding block easy by using the hull lines as reference.  The second layer covers the planking edges.  Overlapping edges makes for a sound joint and the result is cleaner.
 
 Below is the black strike. I use files and a sand block to remove the wood from the end

wale strikes next. Notice how sharp the angle is at the lower edge.  I have not added the peace to support The rest of the hull planks. I will do that later.
 

The finished edge.  I will paint the edge black later.  There will be more planking an sanding first.
 

Best,
G
 
 

I have finished the port side wale.  I used artist tape as a reference line.  This worked great to guide the edge of the plank and to stop the glue from running.
 

 
 I glued the black strake first.
 

I added the next strake but painted the plank edges black 
 

This is a detail of the black strake and the first wale strake with the edge painted

 
I added all strakes and sanded it
 

 
Painted 6 layers of diluted black paint (maybe 7) as Chuck recommends 
 


Detail of the finished wale

 
Best,
G
 
 
 
 
 

I'm just curious, is there anyplace left that will sell boxwood in a size less than a huge billet?  Even a 2X4 is too large for me to mill.  I'm not looking for a large quantity just a few sheets for my stock.

Chapter three is still a work in progress. I added the friezes to the ship. The sides of the hull were done in sequence while adding the middle molding along the waste and the laser etched molding along the forecastle and quarter deck. The QGallery roofs were painted dark gray and work has started on the QGallery columns and roof rail.
 
The friezes were cut out with the aid of long ships curves. This worked out quite well and I can think of only one edge that had to be done by eye. For adhesion, I used the Elmers School glue stick. When using the stick, I made several passes over the frieze. I wanted to use enough glue to allow for positioning of the frieze before the glue starts to set which can happen quickly if applied to sparingly. 3-4 passes should be about right. A sharp #11 blade and a clean planking edge makes easy work of cutting the friezes around the inner edge of the gun ports, but only after the glue has dried. Here is where I'm at as of today.

Mike

First time using the weathering powders and it seems to have come out pretty nicely.  Compared my test carving piece with a single coat of wop the color isn't perfect but looks pretty good to the eye.
 

 
The next pictures are just the piece resting prior to adhering to get a sense what it would look like
 



 
I am going to go another round to see if I can match it even closer

Some progress over the course of the week, none of which really merits pictures:
Milled a bunch of 1/16" sheet for the side planking Milled wood for the horizontal and vertical stem support logs.  I used the dimensions from the plans, not the monograph, which are different.  I think the monograph simplified by using commercially available stock sizes. I shaped the inner and outer stems.  The monographs instructions for taping sheet stock to a big block to hold while shaping with a disc sander worked really well.  Left to myself, I would have used a plane or chisel, which would have taken longer and probably not been as uniform when done.  I couldn't figure out how to get set my tilt table on my table saw to the necessary angle (22.5 degrees, which would require setting the table to 67.5 degrees) I ordered a copy of Chapelle's Boatbuilding, and have slowed down to read it, something I regret not doing prior to starting.  It is a great read, and really helpful.  70 years old but a classic. The plans come with patterns for the side planking.  I cut out the patterns for the lower plank, which doesn't line up perfectly, but will give me a pretty good starting point for shaping the plank. Biggest issue is deciding whether to plank upright like in the monograph, or upside down over the molds.  I'm still heavily leaning towards upside down.  To do this I will need  the stem attached to the keelson. The jig wasn't designed for this, but will only need a slot in the forward most mold to fit the horizontal stem support log.  I'm also trying to decide how much bottom planking to install prior to fitting the first side plank.  I need to install a few to keep the chines aligned vertically with the keelson.  Leaving the bottom mostly unplanked will give a lot better visibility for fine-tuning the pattern and first side plank.  I'm thinking of installing bottom planks at the bow, aft end of the chines, and front and back of the centerboard slot, then fitting the first side planks, completing the rest of the side planks, and finishing planking the bottom, before turning the hull upright to finish. When I'm done overthinking things, I'll start cutting and gluing.  
 
Dave

Thank you. 
 
I have 400 grit wrapped on a small block of MDF cut by the Byrnes saw with three of the 4 edges attached with double sided tape for flat surfaces and edges. For softening edges I jus just a small piece free handing. 
 
It is really red but I like it for this model. No admiralty red ochre paint this time. 

Thanks Grant & Chuck.
 
Main jeer bitts underway

Port side planking and treenailing has been completed, those with good eyes will be able to spot all the mistakes but overall I’m happy with how it turned out close to my planking plan.
Now on with the Main topsail sheet bitts and then the Main jeer bitts.
 
ben

Those looks great

I finished the deck planking today and I'm satisfied with it. I used CA exclusively and that worked well for me. The brittleness of the mahogany king plank made cutting the joggles tenuous and, along with my efforts to keep one side symmetrical to the other, it was slow going but worth it. I'm happy with the deck pattern that I decided on too. My wife is an excellent pastel artist and she has a keen eye for patterns and shape. I discussed a couple of variations of deck patterns with her that I could do and she thought that keeping the pattern simple and clean would look the best. I agreed and decided to only joggle the first section of the king plank near the bow and the last section near the stern. It is simply an artistic choice and I'm happy with it. 
 
There were some inevitable flaws that occurred especially with tear out on the edges of the joggles when I was cutting them with a scalpel. It was hard to avoid no matter how carefully I was trying to be. I was able to make some adequate repairs by gluing slivers of mahogany into the gaps that occurred and patching some of the ramin deck planks with a slurry of ramin sawdust mixed with yellow glue. Finally I sanded the deck up to 220 and, once I had a very nice, smooth surface, I applied a coat of Satin Wipe-on-Poly.
 
Overall, I'm pleased with the deck and now I will get ready to dive into planking the hull. I'm apprehensive about the hull planking since I'm not very experienced at doing it. However, it won't have to be perfect since the hull will be painted.
 
In the close up photos below you can see how I made some repairs and they really stand out and look awful in the photos but, to the naked eye at a normal viewing distance, you don't really notice those them all that much unless you are using magnifying glass! Maybe I should stop posting the extreme close-ups!!
 
Thanks to everyone for the likes and thanks also for stopping by.
 
Cheers!
 
 

I'm going to slowly re-create my build log on Lady Nelson I published on another forum. I've left that forum never to return so I'd like to have an active version of the build log I completed there.  The rest of this post and this log is my posting my off-line copy of that build log.  I hope perhaps it might help someone new to modeling. For me this simple kit was a reintroduction after and extended absence.  I'll throw a few [NOTES] in it as I go, the log was started originally in January 2020. So here goes:
-------------------
I started all my ship builds with a purpose; I learned the process with the AVS practicum, developed technique and accuracy with the Granado, painted with exotic woods to achieve color differentiation with the fully framed Fair American, achieved what I could of historical accuracy with Pegasus with plans from the Maritime museum and Antscherl's books, built a “74” with Vanguard. After 8 models I was done, finishing the last in 2017.
 
Ultimately though I missed the building part so I recently purchased the Lady Nelson. It’s a small ship but the process is the same, it’s a nice model to spend time with, without spending a LONG time building it.
 
My detailed build logs for the Fair American, Pegasus, and Granado were lost due to infamous system crash on Model Ship World, though the somewhat abbreviated Vanguard log is still there. Sadly I wasn’t smart enough to keep offline copies then.
 
So, in the hopes of providing some entertainment, help with building models, or demonstrating how not too depending on your viewpoint here’s my log for the Amati Lady Nelson. 
 



 
The kit, despite the small craft, is another well designed Victory model series designed by Chris Watton, although he informs me it was 30 years ago. The material, parts, plans, are all of good quality. I [then] only build from kits by Amati or Caldercraft, I am confident I’ll have a good start when I open the box. [NOTE: I'm since a bigger fan of Vanguard Models and Syren Ship Model company. My current build is the HM Cutter Cheerful, link below.]
 
I’ve reached the point where I’m far more dependent on the plans than instructions. That’s good in this case because the plans are well done and the instructions are surprisingly brief. I’m not sure a beginning modeler would get what they need with them, so then the importance of a website like Model Ship World to seek additional help.
 
Without being overly critical the MDF in my kit is a bit soft and the walnut laser cut part sheets are too brittle, I’ve already broken and repaired a few parts despite being careful in removing them from the sheets. I would still buy the kit, maybe my wasn’t stored in the best place at the store I purchased it from. It doesn’t deter my recommendation for Amati Victory series models.
 
I have a kit and now a job to do, who says retirement is boring.

So when you’re not sure where you want to start and feel a bit weighed down by the decision then of course you start with the end and build anchors



 
After opening the kit I had to do something to get back on the horse with 3 years since my last build. Scratch building the anchors, replacing the boring metal pieces provided in the kit was a good afternoon’s work. I started with a scrap piece from the 3mm walnut parts board and used my Byrnes Saw and Sander along with a collection of sanding tools to shape it up. I used heavy black paper [NOTE: now I would use artist black masking tape] cut in narrow strips to complete the anchors. I finish everything on the model with water based Minwax Polycrylic in Clear Semi-Gloss. I’ have and tried all the other stuff, I always come back to this simple way to protect and finish my work. [Note: Unless I'm building Cheerful or as I did on Fair American using Wipe On Poly, next level stuff]
 

I have a love-hate relationship with sanding, its an integral part of building with wood but not always the most fun thing to do. Aside from the Byrnes Sander I have The True Sander, it is one of my most used tools. Aside from standard sanding blocks I’ve also created my own various sized sanders by covering scrap wood with different sandpaper grades using double sided tape. I leave 3 edges open allowing me to manage what I sand and more importantly what I don’t in small tight areas. I’ll end up changing the sandpaper a couple of times during a build, they all get used a lot. I also have some I’ve cut for a specific and often one-time use based on the model and circumstance. I share this because they are easy to make and helpful to have.
 
Next comes the work. Or is it work really…

So then it begins, framing the keel. This work is the same on every plank on bulkhead model, in this case I just have fewer and smaller pieces to assemble.


I first sanded a rabbet on the bottom and stern of the keel before installing the bow, keel and stern boards.  The instructions don’t mention this, but it comes in handy to slot in the planks for a better fit. Most large models make a bigger deal out of it. I’ve just always done it and saw no reason not to here. [NOTE: Here the long layoff showed; I forgot NOT to attach the sternpost until the planking was completed. It still works, just make it that much harder. Don't put on the sternpost kids.]

I did find a misprint on the plans. There are a couple of these typos where part numbers don’t match. In the case of the bulkheads the plans incorrectly label 2 and 3.  It’s quickly obviously it’s wrong, here a simple reminder of the importance of checking and dry fitting to prevent a catastrophic mistake if you're too quick to glue.


The instruction recommended and I did do initial fairing on each of the bulkheads 1-3 and 7-9. There are two keys here, don’t overdo it and fair half of the bulkhead. Remove the laser burn to improve adhesion of the planks but leave an edge using the laser burn as a guide facing midships from both bow and stern, otherwise the resulting hull will be off shape and likely uneven from one side to the other. I dry fitted them and laid a batten from one to the next to get a general idea of how much to sand, that seemed to work out.

Having completed that I then scored each bulkhead tab at the in and outside. After the second planking these tabs are removed, this makes that later process easier. Of course score being the operative word, cut too much and they’ll break off while installing the gun port pattern.

I found these little squaring tools somewhere on some site, sorry I don’t remember where [NOTE: Woodpeckers or Amazon has them now].  They are perfect for ensuring square frames, but I still double check by measuring and using my various squares.

I use Admiralty Models white glue for this work and take it slow.  I start from the front. part 1, and the back, part 8, saving the stern frame, 9, for last. Install and wait 30-45 minutes to dry. [Note: I started Cheerful from the middle and worked out both directions, go figure.]
 
Good time to watch 30 minute TV shows between frames. The key is not to rush it.

And it continues:

I installed the false deck, again with white glue. Rubber bands were a lot easier to glue to the curve of the bulkheads than the pinning with nails called for in the instructions
 
Next up is gluing the gunport patterns prior to the first planking.  Soaking them in water for about 30 minutes is essential.  Be careful not to soak to long though, its ply and could warp and/or delaminate.  This has been a monster and frustrating task on my other models, notably Pegasus and Vanguard, but here on the Lady Nelson it was an easy alignment and fit.

A way to keep it easy is to use a pattern board to shape them. I use tracing paper to trace one side of the bow from the plans, cut that out and transfer to a board then use a jig saw to cut a replica of the bow into the board.  Bend the properly soaked pattern (gently, bend too quick if the pattern isn’t wet enough it will split) then clamp it until it dries.  With Vanguard I had to use a dozen or so  large clamps, with the Lady Nelson one small clamp and rubber bands did nicely.

I just glue (still with white glue, cyan sets to fast and wouldn’t allow time to do the necessary alignment between the pattern and the top of each bulkhead and stanchion at the stern (part 12, I saved the two middle stanchions for later, I’d just break them off if I added them now as the instructions ask). I just glue and clamp as I go. Unlike prior models I did both sides completely instead of having to take it a section at a time, the benefit of a small model.

So all this work and I have this little boat. My 3 year old grandson said he liked it as it was and could he play with it now 😕

First planking is complete and stern transom installed.  I followed the modeler’s code for first planking, cover the ship with wood and shape it like a boat no matter what it takes.  Frankly my work was a bit frightful. Apparently planking is not like riding a bicycle, but ultimately it doesn’t matter, the hull is even and now smooth, ready for the next step.

Speaking of which; I’ve always been “ok” at the second planking but it’s time to step up my game. I’ve just ordered the Vanguard Models (Chris Watton’s new company) HMS Speedy. He also has the HM Alert, but its basically bigger, better, improved copy of the Lady Nelson so it wouldn’t be special .

So to prepare for that model I will use Lady Nelson to try a new planking technique, Chuck Passaro’s plank bending. I built my “plank bending station” today and started practicing. I need to go back and rewatch his YouTube videos but I think its going to work out “bending wood the wrong way”.  I’m a cyno guy when it comes to planking, this method allows me to continue to do that. I have no patience for pins or time for planking with PVA (sorry purists). [NOTE: See even over there I was talking about Chuck, I didn't know at the time how popular he is on that other forum. LOL]

Here’s my old method, a glass of water and a little soak…I'm rinsing out this glass after first having a beer or two.
 
Anyway, next up is the 2nd planking. I’ll start that once I get comfortable with ironing wood. After lots of mulling it over I’ve decided the paint scheme will be black and white.  Swiss Pear inner bulwarks, Boxwood above the wale, Ebony wale, and the kit walnut below the wale.  Not much of that will show after painting white below the water line but I decided I needed something to tie together the other walnut kit fittings on the boat (I almost went cherry but its just one to many colors.
 
So far not much interest in my little log, I guess I’m typing to myself.  I talk to myself a lot so typing to myself is the next step I suppose.  Off I go. [NOTE: this is in regard to that other forum where I first published it, it didn't get any better. I just kept typing notes to myself...like I'm doing here...]
 

nice little mini kit.  breaking up the build and doing these little projects in between the "main" progress seems like a good idea

Today scraped the deck and applied one coat of shellac. Then I went for an easy task. Constructing the two ladders was light relief after decking for several days. Although I enjoyed doing it, joggling every strake of planks required a lot of concentration. I couldn't resist dry testing the deck furniture again just for the sheer pleasure of seeing Speedy looking more and more like a ship. I'll probably add some more coats of shellac before finally securing all the deck fittings.
 


 



A few hull details tomorrow - boarding steps etc.
 
Derek
 

nice little mini kit.  breaking up the build and doing these little projects in between the "main" progress seems like a good idea

I did a little side project, putting together the winch sub-assembly from Chuck’s https://www.syrenshipmodelcompany.com site. This is one of several I have as part of my Cheerful semi-scratch build. This model with the plans, starter kit, monograph, and these sub-assemblies, make entry into scratch building so much easier an experience.

The winch comes in a little baggy of finely lasered parts, mine is in boxwood. I printed the simple to follow instructions from the website and commenced to sand and file away.

The instructions say to bevel the many panels (5 barrels and obviously 8 to each barrel) so that only a brown edge is showing. Not surprisingly my last one was better than the first. The big key is when the instructions say only a little edge is showing, it means a very little tiny barely visible bit of brown edge. This one still needed more filing.

With everything assembled, it’s time to paint using the Golden Cadium Red I’ve selected for the model. This is in a bottle not a tube, but I still mixed it at about 3 parts paint to one part water. This gives it an almost ‘red water’ consistency. I found three coats were enough to make me happy. I painted a scrap piece and after three it started looking a little too thick.
 
I use Admiralty Paint Ironwood Black for the components that are, well, wood meant to look like iron, (so that’s how they got the name…) on a real winch. This is great paint, it took only one coat, any more and it will look more like paint and less like metal. As a side note, more of this paint is one of the items in my lost order from the UK.

I’m a big fan of 400 grit sandpaper, I use it to soften everything to make it feel “warmer” and “worn.” With 400 grit as opposed to even 320 there is no danger of losing shape or too much material.  I also did a little shaping at the top, not too much, its a winch…
 
Because I’m using very thin paint I did have to remove all the laser char otherwise it would show through. That was a bit challenging with the end pieces. So here I'm clearly not done.
My hemostats come in handy to hold things while I’m painting, easy here since I could use a 1/16th stick to hold them.

The final dry-fit. It’s really not this shiny, just the bright light and my iPhone thinking too much.
 
The final step is glue it all together, snip off the rod running through it and add the red caps to the ends. I’m not going to do that until I’m ready to mount it on the ship - a long long time from now - just in case any adjustments are needed on the fit to the deck. So off it all goes to join the rudder and sternpost on a cabinet shelf I keep free of everything but a soft cloth bottom and future parts of my current model. I’m sure a few cannon will find their way to that shelf before they’re ready to mount. I like little projects like this to break up the build process.
 
So now back to the hull.

3M "Fine Line" masking tape is an excellent purpose-designed solution. This polypropylene tape guarantees razor sharp edges on curved surfaces. It's a staple in the automotive painting industry. It comes in a variety of widths. Paint the white boot stripe, let dry well, then apply the tape in the width to match your boot line. Spray the black above and the red below, using regular masking tape on top of the fine line tape to mask the top and bottom colors. Remove the fine line and you'll have a perfect white boot line. Sold by all body and fender repair supply houses.
 
https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Fine-Line-Tape-Sand/dp/B00548SEWO/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=3m+fine+line+tape&qid=1590569745&sr=8-6
 
It's a bit pricey, but a roll will last you a long time. As with all masking tape, an opened roll with the cellophane wrapper off of it should never be laid on its side anywhere. It should live in a ziploc plastic bag and never come out except to be used and then immediately replaced. Laying a roll of masking tape down on the edges of the tape will cause it to pick up dust and dirt on the edges, some of which can be practically microscopic. That dust and dirt will guarantee runs under the edge and "bumpy" demarcation lines.

I continued with the deck planking today and was able to complete 5 planks on the opposite side of the deck. I've decided to continue joggling the planks the way I started doing it and am only going to cut the joggles in the king plank and not the hatches. I like the way that looks.
 
I've been using a scalpel mostly instead of a #11 blade since it is cutting the hard, brittle, mahogany king plank more precisely. I have to do a bit of physical gymnastics in order to hand hold the boat in my lap so I can turn it and hold it at different angles while cutting the joggles. I'm working slowly so that the mahogany doesn't tear out along the cut line and to prevent slashing my fingers with the scalpel!
 
The challenge today was trying to keep one side of the deck symmetrical with the other side. I measured and centered the king plank and the frames around the hatches before I started planking and everything was centered on the deck but I'm still getting some variation. I think that one of the reasons that I'm not getting perfect symmetry is that the ramin deck planks are not all uniformly 3 mm wide along their entire length. The ramin strips have not been milled precisely. Although the variances are quite small they add up as more planks are laid side by side and the differences between one side and the other gets magnified. It's not terribly noticeable but I'd rather not have it at all and I think it may become more noticeable as more planks are laid down. Oh well, I'll just do my best and see how it goes.

 
 

Some serious kit bashing last few days. I had no end of trouble getting the curved sofa to fit without being in front of the door to lower deck at one end, and/or pushing the small cabinet in front of the door at the helm station at the other end. I cut away the curved backboard to let the sofa in and under a bit, but that was not enough and in the end I had to take the saw to the whole sofa structure and remove about 6mm from the long end. Restuck the leather and the end panel OK.... I am sure that I must have done something incorrectly, probably around the curved back board..?? perhaps it should have been higher allowing the sofa to go under properly. Dont know....but all the parts have fitted so well that I am assuming I have introduced the error. Also found the top of the small cabinet next to the dinette was at the same height as the adjacent counter under the rear portside window. I took the top off the cabinet and ran a new piece of mahogany from the bottom of window through over the small cupboard. Looks better as one piece....well I think so anyway.Very close to finished the cabin interior. I think the lime floor planking was a good modification...that faux parquetry paper really wasnt for me. Actually the woodwork doesnt look this shiny, it is reflecting the flash in the photos, it is more semi gloss than they look.

John,
From my own experience, cheap plastic proportional dividers with thick, short and dull legs aren't good enough for this task. The legs should be thin and pointy, adjustable like from a good quality compass. Before you use them, calibrate them carefully, making sure that the distance between the shorter legs is an exact fraction (1/2 or 1/3, or so...) of the distance between the longer legs, adjusting the lenght of the legs. The ratio should be set up before with the central screw. Purchasing good dividers is an investment for a long time, so if you intend to build just this one model, use a paper strip technique instead. Cheaper!
 
The way I use them is, I first set the ratio to the number, corresponding with the number of planks in a given 'belt', say 5 and then take measurements between the battens (or marks on the bulkheads) with the pair of the longer legs. Then I switch the legs, place one shorter leg directly against the edge of the plank and with the other leg I delicately mark the plank, pushing it into the plank ever so gently that it is just barely visible. This is the width of your plank at the given bulkhead. I repeat the same for all bulkheads. In the end I obtain a series of micro holes in the plank, which I subsequently connect with a sharp hard pencil using a metal curve (aluminium) the so called ship's curve. I fix the plank in my plank shaping jig and carefully shave its edge with a mini plane and sand it fine, until I no longer see the pencil line.
I actually shave a pair (2) of planks held together in the jig, each one for each side of the hull (since they should theoretically be identical). This way I obtain two identical planks at the same time.
Also, it is a good idea to profile your shaved edge not perpendicular to the surface of your plank, but at certain angle, so when you place this plank against the others, it will form a very tight fit, since the surface of the hull is not flat but rounded up.
When i proceed with the second pair of planks, I change the ratio to one number smaller than the previous one, adjusting the center screw to 4, and so on. After I fill the entire "belt", I remove the lower batten and proceed with the lower "belt". And so on, until I have the entire bulwark planked.
Do not try to plank completely the entire side first and then go to the other side - you run the danger of your hull getting warped beyond repair. Better to mount one plank on the first side and then the second one on the other side and continue that way. The 'skeleton' of your model should be placed securely in a planking "shipyard" during the entire process of planking, to avoid warpage.
Check the pic attached below.
 
The way to edge bend is shown on the video by mr. Kammerlander, I mentioned earlier. Take a piece of flat wood, like a piece of plywood and hammer there two small nails about 1 inch apart leaving them protruding up for about half an inch. Place the end of your pre weted plank flat on the plywood, in between these two nails and delicately try to edge bend it, at the same time rubbing it to and fro with your hot iron. Flip the plank on the other side and repeat the same. Do not burn the wood! The plank will quickly attain a new shape and become curved. This can be done to a certain degree, depending on the type of wood and dimensions of your plank (thickness), before the plank breaks. For tighter curves you have to preshape your plank like a crescent from a separate piece of wood - following the advice of David Antscherl or Chuck Passaro in their tutorials here.
 
Good luck!   :-)
Thomas

Hello and many thanks for your likes and comments.
 
today I finished the 12 pdr's. Because the deck is't ready, I can't install there barrels. But the two extra guns are ready for display.
Now only the dozen 6 pdr's are left. 😃 

And that are the carriages for the guns of the ship. That was a lot more work than expected.