Keith_W

I have been giving a great deal of thought as to how to proceed with this build. I have now completed the first planking up to the main deck level. To my immense relief, the planks are still straight, which means that each deck installed so far is exactly parallel with respect to the others.
 
Other builders of the RW on MSW have decided to continue the first planking upwards, but I am nervous about doing this. Any planking above the main deck is unsupported by frames, and thus potentially vulnerable if the ship is turned upside down.
 
I have therefore decided to start my second planking at the waterline and work downwards and upwards. These photos show that the waterline has been drawn with a thick black marker.
 
If you look closely, you will note that I am using pear strips which I bought from Jeff at Hobbymill for the planks above the waterline, and the Euromodel supplied strips below the waterline. The reason is to save cost by saving the expensive pear strips for planking which will actually be visible. The planks below the waterline will be hidden by white paint.
 

 

 
(EDIT) I forgot to mention - the 2013 edition of "SHIPWRIGHT" magazine has a feature by Mr. Yankovitch who scratchbuilt the 1:36 scale Royal William. It is well worth reading, he talks about his technique and how he overcame various problems. I bought my copy on Kindle. Amazon link is here:
 
http://www.amazon.com/Shipwright-2013-International-Maritime-Modelmaking-ebook/dp/B00GZ8EPPM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416144214&sr=1-1&keywords=shipwright+2013

You HAVE caught up! Crumbs, I think I am only two weeks ahead of you, despite several months head start!

You HAVE caught up! Crumbs, I think I am only two weeks ahead of you, despite several months head start!

Hi all
 
Just finished fitting the middle deck.
 
Although they fitted before the planking went on, I had to take some off the sides to make them fit again.
 
Denis.

That's pretty amazing, Matt. I am in awe of people who are able to work metal in such small scales. You're not a jeweller by profession, are you? 

And congrats on getting your son back. 

That's pretty amazing, Matt. I am in awe of people who are able to work metal in such small scales. You're not a jeweller by profession, are you? 

And congrats on getting your son back. 

That's pretty amazing, Matt. I am in awe of people who are able to work metal in such small scales. You're not a jeweller by profession, are you? 

And congrats on getting your son back. 

Well I got sidetracked this week. I finally got my son back after 6 years of separation. So we've been catching up while I dink away at my build.
 
I saw this photo and thought it to be a nice looking compass. I'm not set on the face yet, and might be trying a contact for the lens. Still workin on the oars, they take more attention than conversations will allow. Those assorted metal pieces worked perfect for this application.
 
Matt

In my recent trip to the UK I stumbled across this. This is what I love about London - so much history, and the possibility you might happen upon somewhere where famous feet have trodden on!


 
Looks like you will need to put a flatscreen TV and a reading lamp on your Bounty Launch, Cap'n!

Thanks for the remarks and the likes, everyone.
 
Vince, I will be adding a double layer of first planking above the main deck level - AFTER I cut the gunports out. I wasn't too sure how rigid the structure would be after doing that - rather than risk it, I thought I would complete the first planking below the waterline first. There is after all, no disadvantage in doing that. I'm not even worried that I will scuff up the planks and make them ugly, because any scuff marks, or even deep gouges, will be repaired and hidden by white paint.
 
Thanks Pat, but I think that you have seen the basic skeleton at a meet a few months back. I have completed a bit more of the first planking now. All I can say is that the pear is a real pleasure to use, a really nice upgrade over the kit supplied wood.
 
I have also been thinking of how to make the stanchions for the staircase and the rear railings. Commercial stanchions are much too thick and seem out of scale, so I have been trying to turn my own. Toothpicks make awful looking stanchions, the wood flakes off too easily and my hit rate is very low. Bamboo picks are even worse - I think they are only good for making treenails. And it's not easy finding Boxwood dowels ... how I wish I ordered some when I bought my planks off Jeff! I have tried making them out of Sculpey and I don't like the results - too inconsistent. I have tried threading beads and painting over them with liquid Sculpey but they look silly. Now I am thinking of 3D printing them (hence my other thread). We'll see.

That's OK Brian, I know that you and others think that my assessment of this kit is overly harsh, and that I am being too critical - but I think it is important to point out where the pitfalls are for people who will follow. To me, I have always found the most helpful build logs are those which clearly point out "Beware of this! Don't make the same mistake as me!". If it wasn't for other build logs which have clearly identified problems and workarounds, my build would be even more sloppy than it already is!

Planking down to the keel is now completed. I have also cut out the second row of gunports. Here she is, all sanded down and ready to go ... while I ponder what to do next.
 

 

 

 
My ambition when I started out was to use no filler. Sad to say, I had to resort to the dreadful stuff. At least I didn't have to use much of it! Yes, I know it will be hidden by the second planking, but it would have given me a lot of satisfaction if I did not have to use any of it.

Just a little update to remind you that i'm still beavering away at this little boat. Not much to say except that first planking is almost finished up to the level of the second deck!
 

 

 

Hi Bootes, to be honest I have been assisted greatly by following other build logs here and by the availability of the "interpretive info" on Euromodel's website that I linked to in my first post. This is quite an enjoyable build, but I am learning that a Euromodel kit is not quite the same as a kit from Amati or Model Shipways. It is a kit in name only, in that you are theoretically supplied with enough material to build a boat. However, if you hang around this forum for too long, your expectations of how a boat should be built becomes quite high - which means a lot of scratchbuilding and modifications.
 
The presence of the LED's in the rear indicates that I am planning to discard the kit windows, which are supplied as solid chunks of metal. I have had sleepless nights wondering how on earth I am going to make those. We shall see!
 
As for the flickering LED's, thank you for suggesting the modules on eBay in the other thread. To install those, I would have to undo some work I have already done, but that's OK. I would install the flickering LED modules inside the ship and power them through the support stands. I will have to think hard about where i'm going to put them though - because the second deck has already been installed, access to the first deck is permanently sealed - which means that options for placement becomes very limited!

Planking continues. The lower deck gunports have been cut out and the dummy gun supports have been installed. The lower deck has been painted black.

Time for an update, as well as a few other notes on building this magnificent ship.
 

 
The bow filler blocks were a real pain to fabricate. To help get the correct contour, I photocopied the plans and cut out guides to check the shape at different levels. It really helps that Euromodel's plans are so detailed - by far the best I have ever seen. It more than makes up for the scanty instructions.
 

 
Completed bow filler block (left). The one on the right was roughly shaped with a belt sander.
 

 
I used my Proxxon MF70 mill to shape the keel so that they fit together.
 

 
Start of planking! I decided to start at the lower gun deck and go both upwards and downwards. As you can see I managed to get a really tight bend at the stern.
 

 
The bow, with the bow filler blocks installed. The plans are rather sketchy regarding how they should be placed, but it made sense to bring them up to the level of the main deck. If you do so, there will be a gap in the middle because the false keel does not rise high enough. I installed a block (arrowed) to help support the main deck which will be installed later.
 

 
I then started tracing the gunport pattern out onto some tracing paper.
 

 
Note that there are FOUR different sizes of gunports. Interestingly, none of the other build logs mention this. Pete's Interpretive Info on the Euromodel website suggests that only TWO different gunport sizes are present (14mm x 14mm, and 13mm x 13mm). The gunport sizes I measured out were:
 
14mm x 13mm <-- lower gun deck
13mm x 12mm <-- middle gun deck
11mm x 10mm <-- main deck
9mm x 9mm <-- hindcastle
 
Perhaps Pete would like to check his plans (I used Plan sheet #7) and amend his I-I accordingly?
 

 
I have now installed five planks on the lower gun deck, all without tapering. This weekend I will cut out the gunports.
 

 
I also took some measurements of the bulkheads below the lower gun deck - these will all have to be tapered.I used these measurements to calculate how wide each plank should be at each bulkhead. Disappointingly, the lower graph (a graphical representation of the shape of the plank) suggests that shaping these planks won't be so easy!

This past week, Our Hero be working his way thru the list he didst draw-up of the detail items to be a-going into his Launch.
“There be precious little to be a-telling ye about,” CaptainSteve did begineth. “This past seven-day, I be mocking up some buckets and piggins.”
 
Indeedeth, the info provided by Buck as a reference was most goodly and of great help. However, CaptainSteve’s buckets be bearin’ only a passing similarity to Googled images.
 
“I … err … that is, I was a-tryin’ to make ‘em appear battered and beaten,” he stammered. “Yea !! Verily, that be it. I was a-tryin' to be making 'em look weathered !!”
 
Arrr. Indeedeth, CaptainSteve.
 
The bases haveth been sliced from a spare piece of 10mm dowel. The edges o’ each Our Hero didst file to maketh the angle for the sides.

 
“I didst cutteth a great number of slats, and thence taper and spileth each …” he continued.

 
The slats were laideth out upon masking tape …

 
… and thence folded into a circle, using the end of a pen to help formeth the shape.

(A white colouration in the bottom o' me buckets doth giveth away me secret: a generous drop of PVA after the circular base hath been fitted doth hold all in place.)
 
“Thinly sliced strips o’ masking tape (painted black), and rope handles I didst addeth to me buckets,” Our Hero didst explaineth. 

 
And, finally, The List as it currently stands …

Yup, spray cans are great for applying large coats of paint. Here's a tip: immerse your spray cans in hot water for 10 minutes before using them. This causes the pressure in the cans to build up, so the spray that you get is finer. If you let your cans get cold / or let the pressure go down, the paint comes out in droplets and causes a blotchy effect. 

Matter of taste. Some people say flat. Some say satin. 

I have finished 4 of my last ships in satin, the last was finished in tung oil - which is only a tiny bit more satin than flat. 

Yup, spray cans are great for applying large coats of paint. Here's a tip: immerse your spray cans in hot water for 10 minutes before using them. This causes the pressure in the cans to build up, so the spray that you get is finer. If you let your cans get cold / or let the pressure go down, the paint comes out in droplets and causes a blotchy effect. 

Hi Bigcreekdad, I am guessing that you have your strip against the fence - as you advance your plank, the strip gets stuck between the saw and the fence? The solution is to have the wide part of your plank against the fence so that the ripped strip falls freely away (i.e. the opposite of what you are doing). This is Bill Sorensen's table saw guide: 
 
http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/MillingScaleLumberRev-01%20(1).pdf
 
He describes your problem and a work-around on page 13. On page 17-20 there is another example of how to rip thin strips without experiencing the problem you describe. 

Yup, spray cans are great for applying large coats of paint. Here's a tip: immerse your spray cans in hot water for 10 minutes before using them. This causes the pressure in the cans to build up, so the spray that you get is finer. If you let your cans get cold / or let the pressure go down, the paint comes out in droplets and causes a blotchy effect. 

Yup, spray cans are great for applying large coats of paint. Here's a tip: immerse your spray cans in hot water for 10 minutes before using them. This causes the pressure in the cans to build up, so the spray that you get is finer. If you let your cans get cold / or let the pressure go down, the paint comes out in droplets and causes a blotchy effect. 

In my recent trip to the UK I stumbled across this. This is what I love about London - so much history, and the possibility you might happen upon somewhere where famous feet have trodden on!


 
Looks like you will need to put a flatscreen TV and a reading lamp on your Bounty Launch, Cap'n!

Hi All
 
Just a little update ha ha.
 
I have started gluing the dummy cannon supports in on the lower deck.
 
To get the distance from the inside of the hull planking.
I made a little template ( ok it's not that good but it will do ha ha ) .
 
I cut a square out and the part that is nearest the hull planking is the line that will be the back of the cannon dummy support blocks.
 
I just put a pencil line along that edge and glued the block on that line.
 
Denis.