GuntherMT

Thank you for your attention. In fact, I was introduced to this great forum by a friend. I like the work and the atmosphere. Also hope to be able to show their work, for everyone to exchange. Due to the registration restrictions, I entrusted a friend in the United States to register an account, the name is written casually, at that time because the permissions can not be changed, now the changed name is my network has been using the real name (no number) .

Alan, putting glue into each hole would be quite messy and complicated, every second counts here since it's quite a lot of treenails.
The holes are a bit oversized to allow for glue (otherwise it is very hard to push, and such a thin treenail breaks easily). The oversizing is small though - instead of a "proper" diameter of "the third smallest hole on Byrnes drawplate" I use the second smallest hole.
The end of the treenail is dipped into a small puddle of fresh glue and inserted, then trimmed with scissors immediately. In 5min glue get slowly sucked into the hole, I had no issues with treenails falling off even in areas where I need to shave off quite a lot of wood afterwards.
No chamfering of a lead corner, instead I make sure to "open up" the hole by gently poking a round tip of a wood scriber into it. It does not change the diameter of the hole, just opens up the entrance from loose fibers and other obstructions. 
It takes a bit of practice to "sense" a hole when there is a glue drop obstructing the view. But after a while it gets easy and relaxing.

Carl, I'm not denying the history or suggest to remove Cromwell from all the books. I just don't want him anywhere close such a intimate thing like a model that you put hundreds or hours and elbow grease into   In the same way as I would never build a model of Herman Göring's yacht.
And, as Brian mentioned, I am lucky to have a choice - the ship was captured, slightly modified and renamed, it's not too late to pick the version to build. 
 
So back to the modelling!
 
Roughly 1200 holes were drilled, the Buzzr did its job perfectly with zero broken bits! 💪

 
Bamboo treenails were glued in

 
Resulting in a pretty satisfying sight  

 
Pointy bits were cut off and most of the glue was removed with a dremel with nylon bristle brush. The hull was covered in plastic since this process is quite messy, small bits of glue are statically charged a bit and stick to everything.

 
Now the best part - sanding and fairing. I really love this one, turns an ugly uneven surface into a neat and clean one (unless there are gaps)  
 
Hahn jig is really convenient for such work, since you can actually lean on it and rest your hands on it without damaging the model. That allows you to work precisely and for a longer periods of time with elbows resting.  I can really recommend constructing support like this even if you do not use Hahn's method. 
Nevermind my corona haircut

 
 
Wide gauge chisel (Pfeil #7) came in handy for removing the remaining glue residue in hard-to-reach areas, as well as fairing the planks. It's surprisingly easy to control, can definitely recommend this tool.

 
The rest was done with a combination of sanding, scraping and chiseling. Final sanding grit was just 400 instead of a usual 600-1200.
 
Here is the end result. Notice how the treenail color is quite different, even though they were all cut from the same wood that looks identical from the outside. I know the the nail pattern is not entirely correct, as an excuse - it was marked up a year ago!  





 
It's definitely not perfect, there are a few tiny gaps and dings, but it's good to practice on an internal planking (that would be barely visible afterwards), to build up skills for the more exposed areas.
 
Now it's time to apply some finish (at least to get an even treenail color), but I have no idea which one to use - these planks are actually the first boxwood parts on the model! All my finishing experiments were on pear, cherry and walnut, and the results are very wood-specific. I definitely do not want to turn this boxwood dark green-ish or dark yellow, ideally want to keep the color as light as possible. My guess is that oil is not the way to go, but some kind of sanding sealer would be better. Will make some samples and try all the main finishes I have before using them on the model.
 
Feels a bit wasteful to spend quite a lot of boxwood for these experiments, considering its price and availability... But I wasted less than budgeted on whoopsies and redos, so there is a bit of a reserve  
 

Added mounting holes and alignment pins to secure metal keel to base.  I am also marking out the location of the FRAMES and 1/2 FRAMES (one in between STATIONS FRAMES (red).  Trying to locate the rest of the bolts so that they do not interfere with the FRAMES.
 

I have made some more progress today and have completed adding the stern rails and decoration patterns. Everything went together very smoothly and looks much better than shown in the two photos below.
 
Looks nice with a black background and I did add a black backing sheet behind the windows
 

 
I included the following photo to show the gold painted top edge and I made sure the picture was nicely out of focus

 

Nicely done.  I'm curious about the little tags you have attached to the bases, I assume the numbering system on them means something?

Nicely done Mike, and beautiful joinery.  I'm sure if I had tried to work on a 30" piece like that off the ship I would have broken it about a dozen times.. lol.. 

Bow and Stern Block Prep
 
Busy this week on the bow and stern blocking.
 
Some unexpected results, while making the bevel cut template for outboard transom frames, led to checking the Byrnes and Micromark table saws, the jointer, and the Incra fence on the sawstop for square.  Adjustments were needed.
 
Also sharpened the 1” bench and fishtail chisels on the Tormec, so ready for carving. 
 
First off squared the rough blocking, with the jointer and table saw; and cut the necessary bow and stern filler blocks to finish size.
 
Templates were made by photocopying the plans.  A glue stick was used to fix them to index cards.
 
Blocks were marked up with the templates.  
 
Blocks were then cut on the bandsaw.  Since there are two cuts, piece was taped back together before the second cut.

Finally marked the blocks with contour intervals to prepare for carving.  
 
Next: carving/filing/sanding bow and stern filler blocks to final shape, using the contour templates.

 
 
 
 

Choosing to build the ship at a later date isn't denying history though, he's building the ship when it carried a different name. 

I Finally got some shop time.  Owning an older home can take up a lot of time in the good weather.  I am almost half way with my planking, 4 out of 9, and hope to do some more this evening. When is it a good time to remove the reinforcing tape on the frames?  Should I do it now or wait until planking is complete.  This is a slow build for me but enjoy my shop time, as little as it is.  As you all can see I did cut one plank two short, so I did the same on the other side for balance.

I don't like it, sorry, just like the unnecessary hype to ruin history all over the globe by a certain  group. You do not need to like history but it defines where you come from. If you deny that, you deny who you are.

Choosing to build the ship at a later date isn't denying history though, he's building the ship when it carried a different name. 

Choosing to build the ship at a later date isn't denying history though, he's building the ship when it carried a different name. 

I like the renaming Mike.  Was slightly confused when a ship I'd never heard of came up in my notifications though!  Lol..  

Choosing to build the ship at a later date isn't denying history though, he's building the ship when it carried a different name. 

Thanks Chuck  and Bob.  The next phase is about to begin.  I love spending time in the shop, call it my happy place.

Spent the evening fairing the port side of the boat.  I am happy with most of it but am wondering if that last bit of char on the transom will be a problem.  I laid a batten along the frames and it appeared  to lay flat all the way along.  Thanks in advance,   Bob

I believe my build is starting to resemble a boat.  I used heat and got most of the curve out of the keel so next session will be gluing the keel to the frames.  time sure flyes by in the shop.

Choosing to build the ship at a later date isn't denying history though, he's building the ship when it carried a different name. 

I started on the keel assembly today.  I would not be very successful if it were not for the Medway Group project.  The hints and tips and the photos are of the upmost help. Bravo Zulu to Chuck for an excellent kit, and build instructions.  I will assemble the less detailed keel on my next day off so I can do a comparison on the rabbet etc.

I received my kit in the mail yesterday and am about to embark on my build.  On opening the kit it was discovered that the aft section of the build board had the end tab broken off.  No doubt this happened in shipping.  I have attempted a fix and will know tomorrow if it worked, and will then reinforce that area somehow.  I have started on the keel and discovered that an hour in the shop seems like 5 minutes.  Enjoying myself on my first ever build

Happy New Year everyone😁
 
I've started on the deck planking, completing the first belt and the lining off the remaining two belts.
 
The planking remains unsanded and looking dirty and discolored at the moment. The only cleanup was to scrape most of the PVA off the joints after gluing. The final cleanup will come later as I move onto the second belt. There will be more room to sand without the risk of knocking down the outside plank edges. All of the deck fittings are removable as well which will make things a whole lot easier.
 
I extended the line onto the margin plank after lining off and I also marked where the butt joints are located.

 
I glued some short alignment strips to the deck and up against the fixtures to keep them centered on the deck

 
For the mast partner bolts I used some 20lb black monofilament drilled with a #76 bit. No gluing necessary.

 
I almost got into deep trouble when I tried gluing the cabin floor with PVA. It started to warp quickly and being boxwood made it hard to bend back. Luckily I was able to get it into position and down tight to the false deck, albeit with a few sore fingers. Stay with medium CA on this one. Trust me!
 

 
Mike
 

After having upside down picture problems, I photted the photo and now they loaded correctly. (Sigh). Anyway, thanks to Olha and her videos and ideas, I used spackle rather than wood putty and it's great to work with.
 

 
I do my sanding and putty with a fluffy towel and when I apply the spackle, I never scrape the putty knife in the jar because it's too dry. I always wipe the knife on the towel and wash it off later. The above picture is after sanding the first time. As you see in this following picture, sanding will leave a few problems.
 

 
Sanding with fine paper requires constant brushing. I did the top plank a second time and lightly sanded.
 

 
I drilled out the threads in the brass stand and drilled a small hole in the keel. Tighten the nut on the bottom and now I can work on the deck. I'll remove the brass stand and leave the bolt for painting. (I placed a small sliver of wood on the right side of the brass stand to help keep the 'water level' correct).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The deck has been attached. The wood/veneer is really thin so it warps easily. I glued it with quick drying white glue. Next time I'll use more slow drying glue as this is almost too quick. As I said before this will be a "quick and dirty" build, (quick in shipbuilding for me still means quite some time...)
 
It is my third Dusek kit, I must say I am fond of them. Good models, excellent instructions and pleasant to build.
 
 
 

 
A cluttered picture of stuff. I'll join the family for some vacation (they are already in the mountains but I'm still working). but leaving tomorrow. Of course I'll bring some stuff to hopefully get some time to build.