Jolley Roger

I've tried spiling the first time about two weeks ago, using mahogany veneer. Worked like a charm and in my opinion, works better than edge bending. 

It's nice not to have to fight and wrestle planks, isn't it?

Ideally one would at least check each plank for width along its edge.  Even those not particularly needing to be cut on a curve still will need a bit of tapering, which is what spiling is, matching the width and shape of each plank to its place on the hull.
You can bend a plank in or out, twist it, or bend it up and down (edge set) but not more than two of those at a time.  Since you have to bend in or out and twist in most places, that leaves cutting on the curve for the up and down.
Stealers and drop planks are used when the difference in width of the hull at that point becomes either impossible or difficult to account for merely by changing the width of the plank, in other words, when spiling will no longer work with the plank stock available, or when the plank would diminish to near nothing.
Remember, the plank should set onto the hull with no stress, totally relaxed, as smoothly as a baby's butt.  Stealers, drop planks and spiling help you achieve that.

I made some models of sanding tools from HDD parts.
I will try to explain with picture how i made.
Also i made my "new" power supply from computer power supply.
take the cover off

remove heads

take out magnets and other parts

glue paper sand on one of the platans.
Al so for the vertical sanding, use a "medical tube"

the parts are ready

install the disk withe the sanding paper, glued.
Make one small cover, if you like

install also the vertical sanding tube

put the helping and protect cover, in position

Tricky bit of work here.  

And if you want a really polished look, you can go to 12000 grit
 
Available from http://www.umm-usa.com/onlinestore/index.php , mainly a plastic modelers site, but they've got some cool stuff!

And if you want a really polished look, you can go to 12000 grit
 
Available from http://www.umm-usa.com/onlinestore/index.php , mainly a plastic modelers site, but they've got some cool stuff!

And if you want a really polished look, you can go to 12000 grit
 
Available from http://www.umm-usa.com/onlinestore/index.php , mainly a plastic modelers site, but they've got some cool stuff!

Hi Clock,
 
Considering the knock we took with the exchange rate, the offering from DeAgostini for the AL HMS Surprise is not a bad offer: R7840 (+- USD550)
 
http://www.model-space.com/za/ships/our-model-ships/hms-surprise/
 
Considering the guys in the UK are paying £550 for the same kit, it's looking like a good deal.

Hi Clock,
 
Considering the knock we took with the exchange rate, the offering from DeAgostini for the AL HMS Surprise is not a bad offer: R7840 (+- USD550)
 
http://www.model-space.com/za/ships/our-model-ships/hms-surprise/
 
Considering the guys in the UK are paying £550 for the same kit, it's looking like a good deal.

Hi Clock,
 
Considering the knock we took with the exchange rate, the offering from DeAgostini for the AL HMS Surprise is not a bad offer: R7840 (+- USD550)
 
http://www.model-space.com/za/ships/our-model-ships/hms-surprise/
 
Considering the guys in the UK are paying £550 for the same kit, it's looking like a good deal.

I can vouch for Vallejo range as suggested by Dimitris, they have a great range of colors available and are airbrush ready.
 
Tamiya and Humbrol also make acrylic paints for the hobbyist.

I bought a set of these planes because they were on sale really cheap and because they looked cool being made from rosewood and brass.  Didn't expect much from them for the price but was pleasantly surprised.  The blades seem to be a good grade of steel and after sharpening (they were really dull right out of the package) and figuring out the best setting for blade depth (the thickness of a sheet of paper) they performed very well on both basswood and cherry.  For a cost of about $3 each delivered I can not complain.
 

Once you've done the masking, give it a clear coat of varnish first to prevent color seepage.

Once you've done the masking, give it a clear coat of varnish first to prevent color seepage.

Once you've done the masking, give it a clear coat of varnish first to prevent color seepage.

I use one of these Nail holders from Micro-Mark.

Guess it is time to stop procrastinating and get into the shipyard for some serious ship building. I was debating all summer which of my Artesania Latina kits I would build next, Marie Jeanne or Constellation. I decided on the Marie Jeanne for a couple of reasons, first, it is the kit that I have had the longest, and second, its overall size of approximately 22 inches would allow me to display it alongside my other completed Artesania Latina kits, Swift, Armed Virginia Pilot, Morgan Whale Boat and the Santisima Trinidad Captain's Launch. The Constellation will be done at a later date.
 
Some background on the Marie Jeanne:  She is a tuna boat from the French harbor of Concarneau, was part of the fishing fleet which sailed from 1900 till 1950.. She fished for tuna between June and October sailing as far as the coasts of Mauritania.. The outings could take two months, as tuna is found in the high seas far from any coasts. The general trend towards engine propulsion contributed to the disappearance of these elegant fishing boats, which often sported colorful sails.
 
So we will begin with the traditional views of the kit box and contents.
 

 
After cutting the backbone/false keel and bulkheads from their laser cut sheets, I have dry fit them in place for now, so I can check the fit and placement of the false deck, which according to the instructions is planked and installed before the hull planking. I also have to determine whether the open hatch floor(s) (lower decking) is visible once the deck hatches are installed.  So once I get that all figured out I will start gluing things in place.  Since the bulkheads extend to the keel itself I could not use my normal keel clamp, otherwise the bulkheads won't seat properly.
 

 
As an aside: I'm a little disappointed with the instructions in this kit compared with the instructions AL provided with all of my previous AL kits.  The instructions are pretty skimpy - 2 sides of a single page and a rather large souvenir-postcard-style color fold-out with lots of pictures and part #s but no text.  However, the rest of the kit is high quality like I've seen in all my previous AL kits. The plans are large and very detailed.  So a lot of "read-ahead"  and dry fitting is in order on this build.
 
So pull up a chair/barrel/bench !

Decking time! 
 
It's been a while, had to wait months for some replacement timber due to a postal strike and then went on vacation in between as well. At least I had the privilege of visiting the Vasa in Stockholm and the Viking ship museum in Oslo, very good motivation!
 
I have decided to replace the AL supplied Ramin planking(top), with some Maple(bottom) supplied by Cornwall Model Boats.
 
As you can see, there is remarkable difference in the quality.
 

 
Since there is no spesific record of how decks were planked for this period, I have decided on a 13524 pattern, as described in NRG's ship modelling database.
 
I am very satisfied with the results. A couple of mistakes here and there, but it's all part of the learning curve.
 

 
 

Oops! see I have lost a little hinge on the door there... will have to make a replacement tonight, as the carpet monster probably got it.
 
Fillers added to the bow and stern and first layer of planking started.
 
I wanted to install the bulwarks before I started the planking, but can't wait for the deck planking any longer!
 
The fillers are not the most elegant looking, I just used some scrap balsa to fill the gaps, but it will do the job.

The bulwarks have been planked and bent.  
 
I can't install them yet, because i'm still waiting for some maple decking planks, from CMB, to be delivered.
 
I ordered the planks on 19 May! Not CMB's fault, the customs and postal services over here is just pathetic.
 
The admiral received a package about two weeks ago that was posted August last year!

Decking time! 
 
It's been a while, had to wait months for some replacement timber due to a postal strike and then went on vacation in between as well. At least I had the privilege of visiting the Vasa in Stockholm and the Viking ship museum in Oslo, very good motivation!
 
I have decided to replace the AL supplied Ramin planking(top), with some Maple(bottom) supplied by Cornwall Model Boats.
 
As you can see, there is remarkable difference in the quality.
 

 
Since there is no spesific record of how decks were planked for this period, I have decided on a 13524 pattern, as described in NRG's ship modelling database.
 
I am very satisfied with the results. A couple of mistakes here and there, but it's all part of the learning curve.
 

 
 

Decking time! 
 
It's been a while, had to wait months for some replacement timber due to a postal strike and then went on vacation in between as well. At least I had the privilege of visiting the Vasa in Stockholm and the Viking ship museum in Oslo, very good motivation!
 
I have decided to replace the AL supplied Ramin planking(top), with some Maple(bottom) supplied by Cornwall Model Boats.
 
As you can see, there is remarkable difference in the quality.
 

 
Since there is no spesific record of how decks were planked for this period, I have decided on a 13524 pattern, as described in NRG's ship modelling database.
 
I am very satisfied with the results. A couple of mistakes here and there, but it's all part of the learning curve.
 

 
 

I'm subscribed.
 
The Alabama has a 'little' South African connection.
 
She made quite the impression on the folks in Cape Town when she visited in 1863. 
 
The song about her(There comes the Alabama) is still sung to this day, but most people have no idea where it comes from.
 

As someone who grew up on the Hamble River, exploring the wrecks, the coves, inlets and the marshes of the river. As a kid, what's more exciting than that?!? I knew of the wreck of Gracedieu from an early age. I remember hearing stories of the wreck being "a Spanish Galleon seeking shelter from raging storms" and "an almighty French naval ship preparing to disembark it's troops to run amuck in the English countryside en route to London".
 
In 2000 (ish) a TV Archaeology team (Time Team) came and surveyed the wreck and they confirmed the wreck was in fact the 60+ metre Gracedieu. As far as I am aware they had a limited time to excavate and investigate the wreck (about 6 hours dive time a day for 1 week). The Hamble is probably the best place for a ship wreck, as the tidal range within the river is very low (Neap Tides - 2.6m to 4.8m / Spring Tides - 2.6m to 5.6m), but is very strong, often on the flood and ebb tidal periods. The chalky-clay silt is disrupted during each flood and ebb tidal period (lasting about 6 hours), and the silt ends up covering wrecks and obstructions of the flow of water/silt. Eventually the silt builds up over a wreck or obstruction and preserves almost all natural elements that can be found in that area (wood/iron/bone/leather).
 
The discovery of the Holigost is certainly ground breaking. The river spans a maximum of 300 m at the point where both wrecks are, so I'm generally impressed that both ships were able to get that far up river (about 16 to 18 Km from Southampton Water). The river certainly is deep enough for a large ship of up to 1200 Tonnes to transit as far Bursledon, but the river shallows out fairly sharply after that point.
 
HMS Elephant (1786) was built by George Parsons on the bank of the Hamble, on the meander of the river near Bursledon. The yard is now called the Elephant Boatyard, and I believe has been owned by the Parson family (in one guise or another) since then.
 
In 1905 (ish), a Celtic or Viking Longboat was discovered about 1 Km up river from the present location of the Gracedieu. The Longboat was found in what was known as Cathead Bay opposite Smugglers Creek. The wreck was discovered during dredging of the river to allow the owner of the adjoining land to move his livestock by river to Southampton. The longboat measured 20 m in length and was almost intact. I believe the wreck was excavated and removed during the 1950's.
 
My Grandparents have lived on the bank of the Hamble for nearly 50 years, and from their garden, there are wrecks of many vessels. Immediately on their part of the river bank is a wreck of a 19th Century Coal Trader. This was 90' in length and apparently was scuttled there after a fire on board, circa 1875.

The Norseman is another wreck on the Hamble (around Swanwick) that is of some importance. It was a regular trading Schooner, registered in Brooklyn, NY, to Southampton and the surrounding rivers and estuaries. The Norseman was built in 1886, and was wrecked by fire in 1949, some 63 years after being built. In 1926 (ish) the Schooner was sold to a private trader, and registered with Lloyds of London, with a home port of Southampton. The Norseman changed hands a few time between 1936 and 1949, and the reason for the fire that gutted her, is still unknown.

The two images below are wrecks of vessels abandoned either during or post WW2. The Hamble river was pivotal for the success of the D-Day Landings in 1944, where the whole river, the surrounding boatyards, and many of the vessels on the river were requisitioned by the War Effort to store and embark the troops and supplies on to Landing Craft, barges and Supply Ships. My Grandfather (aged 9) can remember being chased by two American Soldiers as he and some friends ran across the river from Swanwick to Bursledon via landing craft. They were then caught by three Canadian Soldiers and handed back to their mothers, and got a whip round the ear for being naughty.





 
The hulk of the J Class yacht Velsheda was also kept in a mud berth on the Hamble, and had been left to rot there for some 40 or 50 years before being bought and restored by Terry Brabant in 1984.
 
Sorry for prattling on about all the wrecks and interesting facts about the Hamble River, but it's been my home for all my life, and it's such an interesting area to explore.
 
Cheers
Jonny