Seventynet

Hello Ian,
Thanks for dropping by.  I'm following your Brazerra build with interest - I have a Marisstella kit on the shelf and I think the exercise in understanding plans will likely test me!
 
The Bluenose and Bluenose II are such important symbols to those who grew up here that I think all Canadian ship modeller's should build one at least once!  I think you'd enjoy the ship.

I love it Don! It looks like the serving machine is getting a good workout! I like your bowsprit clamp. As you know I get stuck on stupid little details like that😜. There is no danger of me catching up to your fine build in either time or quality!
 
ian 

Hey Don, can you tell me in post #440 how you formed the bent end of the spar that sits atop of the mast? I'm having trouble figuring out how to turn a piece like that. 
Thanks, ian 

Great idea Don, I'll have to try that.
Ian

Once again, beautiful work Don. To answer your question, we have a small place at Sandy Beach, north of Lloyd, where we spend quite a bit of time. Back home now so the work on the Brazerra can get going and benefit every step of the way by your trailblazing!
 
ian

Don, lovely work as usual. I really echo your words to John about the MarisStella kits, the quality is a step above other kits for sure.  I've been enjoying your Saskatchewan weather just north of Lloyd for a week. It just doesn't get any better than this, except maybe for the mosquitoes😬. Anyway please give us good pictures of the rigging when you get going on that.
ian

Nice work Don. Beautiful actually. I love the outdoor lighting effect on the wood.
 
Ian

Good day Shipmates,
 
I thought I'd post my current progress as I will be away for a while. So, since last time I have double planked the deck, installed the deck rail, the timbers, the hand rail and the main hatch (not glued in place).
 
First layer of walnut planking. The 1.5 mm thick planks are continuous. They need to be sanded down by 0.5 mm. It becomes obvious here how important it is to get the bottom of the scuppers location right.

This is what happened when I accidentally dropped my feeler gauge (I'm forgetting the right name for it). I've had a good year's use out of it so the tears were brief.  Maybe the metal rods will come in handy.

Here is the second layer of yellow cedar decking completed; deck rails installed, hatches and entranceway holes and timbers glued in place. 

The approach I used for the final 0.5 mm yellow cedar deck planks was to cut them with a jig, square them with the Byrne's disc sander, and pencil the edges (not shown). I was not happy with the pencil approach so I will look for a different approach next time. If you're wondering about the rubber gloves...they gave me a better grip of these thin pieces.


The deck rail (the walnut on the periphery of the deck) is challenging to glue down because the 0.5 mm pieces immediately curl up upon gluing. The king plank is supposed to sit proud of the decking . The cap rail bow pieces were fiendishly difficult to bend but I got there eventually .

Thanks for looking in.
 
Best Regards,
Ian

Thanks for the likes and looking in everyone. While the progress may not seem like much, in fact it isn`t much , it marks a milestone for me. Aside from a coat or two of poly I am on to the deck. I will decide on a paint scheme later.
 
I will mention that I don`t know how the heck anyone can edge bend 5 mm by 0.5 mm walnut the way it needs to be bent to form those lower wales. Obviously people do it but it is beyond me. I put many hours in trying. I gave up and milled my own stock and spiled it. The light wood is yellow cedar (edge bent). It bends well and sands better than basswood - but it isn`t much harder, so beware if you`ve been using walnut, this stuff is much softer and clamp marks will show up very easily.
 

 

Ok Folks here we go with a small update. I've installed the scupper strakes and the rest of the planks to the gunwale.
 
I used a 1mm mill bit attached to my dremel to cut the scuppers before I installed them. I also pre-bent the strakes before I cut the scuppers because I was afraid that they would break if I edge bent them afterwards.
 
The top planks need to be sanded down to approximately the top of the bulkheads and then a 5.0 * 0.5 mm sheer strip needs to be fitted along the top from stern to bow where it joins up with that unique shape at the bow (see the circled picture below). No dimensions are presented in the plans so I think I'm supposed to consider it a personal touch.  This boat is beautiful and in spite of its challenges I love it.
 
The hull has been lightly sanded but needs a bit more before I add the rubbing strip and numerous wales.
 
The most challenging thing I have found so far on this build is working with 5.0 * 1.7 mm planks. Edge bending this dimension is not easy. All strakes above the scupper were edge bent without too much damage. Virtually all planks under the first 4 beneath the scupper planks are spiled. 
 
I did discover a highly sophisticated bending technology that I will now share with you. It consists of an aluminum camping pot, clamps and a heat gun. I clamp one end of a previously soaked plank to the pot, fire up the heat gun and walk it down the plank while pushing the plank down - then clamp the end. Works flawlessly. The biggest advantage is the heat gets applied equally on both sides of the plank with the pot transferring the heat to the underside of the plank. Different diameter tin cans are currently being hoarded.
 
Anyway a few pictures.

Good Morning Shipmates,
 
It has been a long voyage without significant discovery. Since I am about to embark on shore leave I present my latest progress on the Brazzera.
 
I have finished both sides of the hull from the scupper plank down. All planks (essentially 4 per strake), except maybe one or two, have been spiled at the bow and stern giving me a more level look without planks riding up at the bow and stern. Obviously this necessitated different walnut stock (from MarisStella, Don and my own), hence the multi-coloured planks. Not that you don't get that from a single source too.
 
For those interested in following this approach, the widest plank blanks would be about 35 mm with most being about 25 mm. Also keep in mind that in order to optimize the grain running lengthwise at the hook where the maximum bend will occur, you may want to have blank stock considerably wider than 35 mm. A consideration for doing this would be whether you decide to paint the hull which is obviously called for. Why go to all this trouble if you are going to paint? In the absence of spiling this hull poses severe edge bending challenges (I suppose less so depending on how you line out the geometry). Check out Zoran's log on the Brazerra/Trabakul to see the difference in his hull geometry. Just my two cents.
 
I have no idea whether spiling like this this would be a sacrilegious trespass to traditional Brazzera shipwrights, but unless someone tells me that this definitely would not be done, I will use this same method for my Trabakul when I get around to it. I would appreciate it if people weighed in on this issue. It will not offend me if I am called on my approach.
 
Some pictures are with mineral spirits so that I could spot excess glue. A couple of pictures show the notches in the planks at the bow before and after planking. There are actually two but they don't seem to both show up in the pictures.
 
Best, Ian
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thumbs.db

She looks great Ian, very nice work. You will be doing rigging very soon, I must get get to work soon as you will be passing me!!

Looking great! I find it interesting that the bowsprit sits to the side rather than center. I wonder where that concept came from.

I love it Don! It looks like the serving machine is getting a good workout! I like your bowsprit clamp. As you know I get stuck on stupid little details like that😜. There is no danger of me catching up to your fine build in either time or quality!
 
ian 

If you make it back here Zoran or if you have figured this out Don or anyone else, can you explain to me what the bowsprit fastener is supposed to look like? There are 3 plan views but I am still not absolutely positive what it supposed to look like. Is it a copper strap with eyes? Or is it a wooden cradle of sorts? And how does it attach to the cap rail? I can't seem to find any pictures.
Thanks in anticipation,
Ian

Ah, thanks for that explanation Zoran. Let me say this has been a very good learning experience for me, especially on how to read  plans. The biggest challenge so far has been trying (and failing) to make hinges for the forward companion way and the copper and brass grudgeon and pintels for the rudder.
 
Ian

Thanks for the compliments Zoran, much appreciated. I think the wood in your kit is very good, very high quality. I have all these different kinds of wood lying around so it is inevitable that I'm going to use some. It is pretty hard to beat walnut for planking...in my opinion anyway. I may have some rigging questions for you soon .
 
Not that I'm an expert by any means but I was just reflecting on the hull shape today and the relative lack of a keel and wondering how well it could sail to the wind. It looks like it would scream on a broad reach but would lumber and slide anywhere near a close haul. ??
 
Ian

Hi all,
 
A small update but I could not help it after getting the rudder and tiller completed! 
 
Nothing is glued down and lots of fiddly things to go before I can start rigging. But I have at least prepared all spars.
 
The bird picture is of a Merlin or Pidgeon Hawk that greeted us a few weeks ago on our back fence. The cloudy background is plexiglass on a bus shelter.
 
Thanks for looking in. All of my likes seem to have disappeared. 
 
Ian
 

I love it Don! It looks like the serving machine is getting a good workout! I like your bowsprit clamp. As you know I get stuck on stupid little details like that😜. There is no danger of me catching up to your fine build in either time or quality!
 
ian 

Hello all, first up Thanks for all your visits, likes and gracious comments. Trabakul now has a new home on the dining room table as rigging has started and there is less chance of her getting hurt and even a less of a chance of me using the table to entertain.

 
 Bowsprit was first, this the little fitting made to hold it in place
 


 
The little supports on either side and a strap with rings( I used eyebolts)
 


 
Chain installed
 



 

 
Lower shrouds completed
 

 
 Next up is the upper shrouds and then ratlines.
 Enjoy and Take care

Thanks for the compliments Zoran, much appreciated. I think the wood in your kit is very good, very high quality. I have all these different kinds of wood lying around so it is inevitable that I'm going to use some. It is pretty hard to beat walnut for planking...in my opinion anyway. I may have some rigging questions for you soon .
 
Not that I'm an expert by any means but I was just reflecting on the hull shape today and the relative lack of a keel and wondering how well it could sail to the wind. It looks like it would scream on a broad reach but would lumber and slide anywhere near a close haul. ??
 
Ian

Thanks for the likes and looking in everyone. While the progress may not seem like much, in fact it isn`t much , it marks a milestone for me. Aside from a coat or two of poly I am on to the deck. I will decide on a paint scheme later.
 
I will mention that I don`t know how the heck anyone can edge bend 5 mm by 0.5 mm walnut the way it needs to be bent to form those lower wales. Obviously people do it but it is beyond me. I put many hours in trying. I gave up and milled my own stock and spiled it. The light wood is yellow cedar (edge bent). It bends well and sands better than basswood - but it isn`t much harder, so beware if you`ve been using walnut, this stuff is much softer and clamp marks will show up very easily.
 

 

Thanks so much Zoran, that is a very nice explanation. I have designed the respective hinges and will give them a try.
Ian

Good day Shipmates,
 
I thought I'd post my current progress as I will be away for a while. So, since last time I have double planked the deck, installed the deck rail, the timbers, the hand rail and the main hatch (not glued in place).
 
First layer of walnut planking. The 1.5 mm thick planks are continuous. They need to be sanded down by 0.5 mm. It becomes obvious here how important it is to get the bottom of the scuppers location right.

This is what happened when I accidentally dropped my feeler gauge (I'm forgetting the right name for it). I've had a good year's use out of it so the tears were brief.  Maybe the metal rods will come in handy.

Here is the second layer of yellow cedar decking completed; deck rails installed, hatches and entranceway holes and timbers glued in place. 

The approach I used for the final 0.5 mm yellow cedar deck planks was to cut them with a jig, square them with the Byrne's disc sander, and pencil the edges (not shown). I was not happy with the pencil approach so I will look for a different approach next time. If you're wondering about the rubber gloves...they gave me a better grip of these thin pieces.


The deck rail (the walnut on the periphery of the deck) is challenging to glue down because the 0.5 mm pieces immediately curl up upon gluing. The king plank is supposed to sit proud of the decking . The cap rail bow pieces were fiendishly difficult to bend but I got there eventually .

Thanks for looking in.
 
Best Regards,
Ian

Thanks so much Zoran, that is a very nice explanation. I have designed the respective hinges and will give them a try.
Ian