mrcc
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Everything posted by mrcc
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The next issue to contemplate is the supplied stained planks. Seems like they are so faded and dull... I decided to experiment (with a can of forest green stain that was 25 years old) and see how they look with a re-staining. The plank on the right was a plank from the first layer of hull planking and they both look good and even in shading should I need extra planks as it seems on the old kits, people are barely supplied with enough.
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Finished the rear gallery panel and planking below... on further assessment of the slight twist of the stern counterclockwise, I realized it was only the last frame that was such and not the rear keel and frames. Good news for me... with regards to correction, I just dropped the starboard side of the rear panel, probably about 1 mm downwards, to clockwise, and created a better optical effect of a more balanced appearance. I started to prepare the transom framing and everything looks good in my mind...
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Glad your hand is better! I know the struggle as well with the hands… I need a surgery as well once I retire from work. PS Your work on the ship is great!
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Here's a problem I need to address... The line drawn in with pencil is actually level to the decks. The entire rear stern has a twist that was noted earlier but perhaps being in denial, has now come to haunt me. The bulkheads never did fit properly and with a vintage kit, and loose fittings of bulkheads into the keel, and the large tolerances in the fitting of the parts, this is what I now get. Frustration but an added learning element as I think I can optically reduce the perception ever so slightly by adjusting to a more level state the rear ornaments one by one to appear more level to the deck lines going from the top to bottom... in the future. But I need to address the discrepancy to a degree in planking the rear stern as this is the next step in the plans.
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Lastly, glued in the side gallery dormer piece, drilled a hole into the side hull as I believe I will pick up some of the LED lighting (embedded inside) from this window, and laid the window in with a piece of acetate underneath. I will do a wood fill to clean up the margins of the inlay I did with the Dremel. I laid out the roof shingles while also adding a small fill piece at the bottom as the ornament to come later will cover the fill piece. Bit of a "dog's breakfast" but good enough. I may peel a couple of the shingles at the very top, one on each side, as I think I can make it look a bit better... This hobby makes it very hard to be a perfectionist...
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Completed the side gallery dormers. First laying out the bands of 3mm with a 2mm overlay. Also worked on the side gallery dormer windows... lots of fiddly work, first milling by freehand with my Dremel, the inlay for the windows and acetate, then milled the side channels in order to fit flush inside the bands and then sanded back the inside profile in order to fit flush to the hull. NOT much fun here...
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More work done... and only now time to post some progress. My laser cut windows were an excellent fit on the side galleries. Not so great on the stern gallery windows... will get those recut as the stern windows are slightly larger than the side profile windows unbeknownst to the person cutting the windows.
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Thanks Patrick for your reply… Mamoli has a decent set of instructions with very good illustrations I should add but the problem is that there are frequent omissions to those instructions and plans. Then you have to deal with kit design problems and issues with fitting of parts. I found myself instead referencing the building logs on MSW for the extra clarity and it’s all good. I view these challenges as all part of the learning experience. The building continues… 😊 Cheers!
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Thanks Peter for the reply… Its actually clear acetate but with an interior painted black, thus the dark appearance.
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Thanks again for the information… Good for the next person hunting for a solution.
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I am a big believer of a picture tells a story, and a 1000 word story at that... Lots of work and "stress" in getting this gallery part to fit right as this was NOT an easy process. The instructions from Mamoli would absolutely not work in this process... and this is how I did it. First did some edge bending of the plank (2x4mm), getting an OK bend for the side profile of the galleries. I then used the electric plank bender to bend the gallery windows in a bend and twist fashion (after a quick soak in water), then gluing the gallery window pieces to the hull and allowing it to dry completely on the hull and only then did I attach the pre bent plank to the top and bottom profile as evident in the fourth picture. I then cut out the acetate and glued them to the inside profile with a hot glue gun and only then gluing the completed assembly to the hull. This final step turned out very well but lots of CA glue and wood glue and clamps as the pre bent profile was not perfect to complete the attachment. The last 2 pictures show the completed gallery with the acetate and openings ready to receive the laser cut windows once painted.
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Interesting... thanks for the information!
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Thanks for the replies! I actually did an AI search (not a Google search) and found out that a hot glue gun can also work. Not so much fun to work with (as it clumps up and solidifies quickly) but it got the job done.
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Creating a panel of windows and noted lots of varying opinions in the build logs on glue for acetate to wood (and definitely not CA glue due to clouding of acetate) and needed a definitive answer. I am sure that epoxy would work but want about contact cement? Thanks!
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More work done on the quarterdeck galleries... After rough cuttting out the material for the windows, I was able to get a tight and clean margin for the windows to pop in with a simple file. I received the new windows from a friend's friend that had a laser cutter at home. Very well done in my opinion! The green ones are plastic and came with the kit, allowing for only one per side gallery. It seems as all the build logs on MSW added the full compliment of windows to their builds. Additionally, I soaked the fascia boards in hot water for just a few minutes, and then with an electric plank blender, bent the parts to follow the frame on the hull in a bending and twisted fashion, and then pinned them to the hull in order to fully dry. Very different from how Mamoli advised to do it...
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Very tricky work filing the window profiles out to accommodate the laser cut windows (that I am picking up tonight). The thin plywood openings were so fragile to file and prepare (in this estimated 45 year old kit)... I just took it very slowly with a fine file in order to minimize the destruction of the ply. The last picture references the completed part for use.
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Thanks Peter for your suggestion... PS that's a beautiful Cutty Sark you have there! A few pictures at this time referencing the rear cabin dormers. I sanded back the undersides at each end of the wooden part in order to create a slight convex surface in order for the part to sit with more contact to the curved roof below. Once I got a good "seat", I traced the bottom side profile to follow the side contour of the roof line and then traced a gentle curve to the fore edging, sanding back with the disc sander, then with a file and then hand sanding with sandpaper in order to get the dormer shaped for initial fitting. I need more concavity in the fore 1/3 of the dormer on each side...
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Thanks Peter for your reply... I think my concern is more getting the frame of the window and panes to look right. Definitely will not put those plastic aberrations in!
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I am hoping to source a laser cutter from a friend of a friend... in order to cut a number of windows for this kit. The kit has some cheap plastic windows that I wish to definitely replace. The kit supplied plastic windows only have enough for 8 windows but I wish to replace all of them as evident on the plans. The side stern windows are inclined in one way and then the other side has a slight inclination the other way. And the rear stern windows are straight up and down without an inclination.. The windows are roughly 8mm x 13mm. Not sure if to cut from wood stock or from a sheet of photoetch brass?
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Finally finished the deck planking on all the deck levels... With three coats of wipe on poly. I made the mistake of sanding the green lath on the rear deck wall... not sure why I even did it... I have now lost the lustre and brightness of the green stain and will likely have to do a new wash or stain on it.
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Thanks Patrick for the wise words… you are so right!
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Upper deck complete but also working on the very top rear deck... Instructions are not clear... Nothing fits properly - and finding myself shimming this or that corner at every step. I had to add a ledge for the rear deck lip to sit on - not in the manual. I also had to shift the hole (in the deck prior to planking) for the mast by 3 mm and then braced the hole from underneath. I will later refine with a file. I might just take a break here as I am starting to get frustrated with this vintage kit!
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Now dealing with a dilemma, I followed the side profile on the plans in adding the top line of gun ports and thought they were accurate but in the first picture (once placing the top deck), the deck does not extend far enough. I referenced a couple other build logs on MSW and it seems I am the only one that placed them as forward as I did but yet I seem to have taken an accurate approach to the plans. As evident in the following pictures, I extended the deck, having felt that there would be no subsequent problems in the future by doing so. Aesthetically, I extended it by 11 mm and should have only done 5-6 mm. There is some bulwark details (under the deck lip) that need to be added and they only needed that 5-6 mm extension.
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Quick check to make sure the holes for the masts (on the upper deck) line up catching the second hole below. All good there but did have to file 1 mm one side or the other, prior to planking, in order to get that direct line. Planked tight to the revised hole and filing with a round file in order to get a tight friction fit of the dowel.
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Hi David... yes, the old Dutch ships are beautiful! The ship in the background is the Mamoli Santa Maria... very happy with the end result and appearance compared to the other Santa Maria kits on the market. Thanks for checking out my build log!
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