palmerit

Squaring up the display stand and I shaped and added holes and cleats to the mast.

Been painting this one (while also painting my Scow Schooner). I’m doing the deck and upper sides a simple Off-White (Vallejo Air 71.270). Probably doing the bottom and bottom half of the sides a red shade, which I have not yet chosen. I might do a custom blend for that. The inside is largely done - with a few coats of Zinsser Amber Shellac - but it’s masked off.

I’ve been making a bit of slow progress on this model, even if I haven’t added any posts. I added the cabin - which you can’t see because I have it and the desk masked off - and doing some painting of the hull. A couple more airbrushed coats to go. For the hull I chose a Vallejo Model Air Pale Green 71.095. It looked nice with the Vallejo Model Air Yellow Ochre 71.033 that will be used in various other places. Other colors will be some Off-White 71.270 and Black 71.057, maybe a couple others.

The half hull is probably (?) a quicker build, if that's a factor in the decision. Doing the half hull really did help me understand the proper shapes of planks you're trying to achieve when you need to do edge bending. The half hull is a bit "weird" in the sense that you don't use planks, like 95% of kits use, but cut planks out from flat sheets of basswood from templates you draw out using tape or tag board applied to the model. I guess in that sense doing this makes it even more obvious what kind of share you're trying to achieve when you have planks and need to do edge bending.

Note for other builders: 1-2-3 block make for great weights like this. Just note that when new they often are well-oiled to prevent rusting and even if you clean off the outside, oil can still seep out from the holes in the blocks and stain wood. Thankfully for me I learned that when building a Syren serving machine, not a model.

Right. That's why I have several models I'm working on at once - I now have five, which is probably too many. I can do something on one model - and let it sit, say waiting for planks to dry while shaping, paint to dry, glue to dry - and move on to something else on another model. I know there are ways to speed up all these things and maybe rush and not negatively impact the build, but having multiple models at once for me has let me be impatient because I can just set one model aside and move on to another one.

Didn't think of that and I can't remember the building steps. My bet is that the subfloor planking is in the way and will not permit gluing from the front, but I could be wrong.

Did you try using a super thin CA (super) glue? It can wick into narrow seams and you can push down with something other than your fingers. Not regular CA glue. Bob Smith is a recommended brand and they make super thin varieties, some of which are specifically designed to wick like that. ZAP also makes a thin CA glue. I never knew there was such thing as a super thin CA glue until I started building wooden ship models. I tend to avoid CA glue and prefer wood glue, but the super thin certainly has its uses (and CA glue or epoxy is needed to glue things other than wood). Depending on how wide the gap is, you can also dab a very thin piece of wire or a very thin pin into the thin CA glue - it'll wick to the metal - and use that to "inject" the CA glue into the gap. You'll certainly need to do some additional coats of paint after you make the repair.

On that last photo you posted, I assume the planks need to curve up and around to the bottom edge of transom? If so, I imagine it's a challenge to get that tight curve right and to then have the planks transition down to the stern post. Are you planning to do shorter lengths of planks? While I have this kit in my stash, I'm waiting to start it until I get through the simpler models I've accumulated (and feel more comfortable to take on the added challenge).

@robert952 Thanks for the comments. I did bevel both ends on the stem posts and beveled the bottom of each plank to get the angle to follow the shape of the building frame - far more of a bevel as I've worked up (technically down) the hull. I currently have several different models I'm working on in semi-parallel fashion - though the Gunboat Philadelphia is on the back burner for now because it is fairly large. So for me it's fine to just do a plank every day or two. I'll probably go add my plank for the evening in a little bit. By contrast, I can spend hours working on one or two of the other kits. With the peabod, it seems I can't really do more than one plank at a time given all the rubber bands and clamps I need to put into place. That's perfectly fine for a fifth model on my table - well not physically on my table, it's near my table when I'm not working on it. I can't imagine in one evening adding more than one plank to the peapod. I could add a dozen planks to the Vanguard Lady Isabel I am also now building in one sitting on a Saturday - at least if I did not have a bathroom remodeling project I promised my wife I'd have finished over a year ago that has been taking up my weekends and some evenings. My impressions about the difficulty were really more for a true novice looking for a model kit to get started with. There's a bit of a calibration to wooden model ships that is different from other kinds of models. Any adult could - with some patience perhaps - build the most difficult Lego Technic model out there. Most adults could build with a bit of effort - maybe not exquisitely painted - all but the most difficult and fiddly plastic model with tons of PE parts (and perhaps not ones with particular poor instructions and perhaps not the Heller plastic ship models). The same is not true for a wooden model ship. When I first discovered this hobby a little over a year ago, if I had not discovered modelshipworld I probably would have used my knowledge of Lego and plastic models to pick something in the middle of the range, assuming that a Level 1 or Level 2, or Novice or Beginner kit, were for 8-12 year olds. It would be easy for a novice to see this little wooden boat and think it was an easy build. And yes, a Lego ship in a Bottle does count. I'm counting the Lego Endurance I built last winter.

I had reviewed your build log but had missed the bobby pin and rubber band trick. I'm going to borrow that one.

Did you also check out Vanguard Models? Beautiful and great as a first model (the Novice kits). Great materials, detailed instructions, lots of build logs here. My first was their Sherbourne.

I end up doing a lot of slight repositioning of planks while adding various clamps - and can only glue to the plank edges - so I think superglue would be a real mess in my hands (literally and figuratively). I’m struggling a bit to make that turn. I shaped the bottom of the planks a bit at an angle, which helps. I clamp to keep the hull following the shape of the build structure and clamp to try to avoid too much clinker effect. I’m hoping it won’t be too much that a sanding can’t smooth out. We’ll see. I have no idea how I’ll clamp when I get closer to the bottom board. The kind of just says “add planks” with no pointers. I’m astounded people could build these before the age of the internet. Maybe that’s why there were probably more model clubs back then. Our “clubs” now are virtual.

I wonder how many beginners have bought this little boat for their first model and given up. It is a “Skill Level 2” but I could imagine an adult thinking surely a Skill Level 1 is for a child. This little model is quite the challenge - in an interesting way - with the dozens of thin planks that need to be shaped carefully. I do about a plank every day or two. It’s a good second or third or fifth model to have in the mix at the same time. I have no clue how someone could just plunge ahead on it for hours at a stretch.

I use Renaissance (conservator's) Wax because a bunch of people recommended it over beeswax. I'm no expert, but the posts say that beeswax is acidic and attracts dust, whereas the conservator's wax dries clear, is neutral pH, and does not attract dust. It's expensive but you use only a tiny bit of it. I have no expertise on this. Just passing along what I've read.