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Chuck

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Everything posted by Chuck

  1. The best advice i can give you is to go slow. Its going to take you a lot of time. It will take several days to fair each side properly. Having said this, you can ask five people and you will get five different answers. Everyone has their preferred methods. I just take some sand paper about five inches long and cup it in my hands and go to work. I use a course grit of 150 ish. At the bow and stern i will use sharp chisels to remove the bulk of the material initially and then finish it off with hand sanding as stated. use a batten to test your progress as you go.
  2. Nicely done Mark!! Planking is going really well. Having a nice stash like that would be really nice.
  3. Just letting you guys know that I have been steadily making progress. Planking is not something that can be rushed. No matter how well you make all of the other fittings and parts on a model, if your planking is bad that is all anyone will ever notice. So go slow and keep it clean and neat with tight joints. If you see yourself going off your lining off tick marks with a strake, no need to worry. Then you should correct it with the next strake or two in order to get back on your marks. Keep flipping the hull "right-side-up".....as you should check your run of planks every strake or two and make adjustments when needed. Below you can see the tapered planks along the tuck and the transition of the planks onto the stern post rabbet. Note the plank in the corner where the ends transition from the counter to along the rabbet strip. The cedar is working out nicely and I think the color looks good on a model this size. You guys can of course judge for yourselves but if you are building a frigate or other larger subject, this is a good choice. Its a bit soft bu once you get accustomed to using it, it really looks good. I have only used a bit of wipe on poly on the planking. I have completed two belts on the port side and am finishing of the second belt on the starboard. Once completed I will reverse direction and start planking from the keel ....upward in order to finish up the hull planking. You can see my planks entering the stem rabbet below. Questions and comments are always welcome from the group. Chuck
  4. Nice work mike. Good to see you back at it. Yes indeed, as with any new technique it requires a bit of practice to find its limitations. You will soon discover that that its easier ti bend a little in two or three places along a curve rather than a lot in one place for certain bends. Give it a try. Basically find the apex to bend and then move the strip a little one way or the other and bend it again maybe an inch away from the last center point. It extends and elongates the bend needed.
  5. I use medium CA for planking. I use any brand i can find on sale. Whatever is on sale. I havent experienced an issue . I have always used either boxwood and now yellow cedar. I also used used it on cherry planking and never had an issue.
  6. You are off and running!!! I am so glad to see you dive in the deep end Rusty. I am looking forward to seeing your progress. Chuck
  7. You can paint them but using the contemporary models as a basis of inspiration, they are normally left natural. Just apply a finish coat like wipe on poly. In fact I would recommend not using wipe on poly and instead just using some sanding sealer or even spraying with a light coat of matte fixative spray. You dont want them to darken too much or discolor along the end grain so this would be my preferred option. Chuck
  8. Yes they need to be different....the bottom sill needs to be longer because the angle is different and the length it spans a bit different. Either way they will need to be cut and angled appropriately.....the one on the plans is long enough for both. These pieces cant be laser cut precisely and need some work by the builder to fit properly. The bevel is in both directions. Chuck
  9. If they are the right shape and curved correctly.....no clamping is needed. I do use CA for them though. They should fit in position with no forcing or pining. If you have to force them or pin them then dont use the plank....toss it and make another one. Chuck
  10. Here is some info on planking and lining off the longboat which is very similar. I hope this helps. file:///C:/Users/Chuck/Documents/PartTwo.pdf Also check out these videos I put together which should help in figuring out why the planks dont lay flat against the bulkheads. I hull like that should be lined off and the planks curved appropriately to lay flat against each bulkhead.
  11. That is too bad.....live and learn.....check every piece against the plans before proceeding the next. It will come out even better teh second time around. Chuck
  12. Nice!!! What other small craft at 1/2" scale would you like to do? Maybe I will take the plunge as well. Chuck
  13. That really looks nice.....I am so glad you left the planking off to match the barge. It looks really nice that way. I was tempted to do that myself. Chuck
  14. Variation is a good thing. Your model is progressing very nicely. Looking forward to seeing more
  15. On this model at 1/4” scale the planks are much wider. Therefore they need more heat in my opinion. In addition, the hair dryer will work but it will take a lot longer to heat up the plank enough. I think mike is using a hair dryer and its fine. The method of heat delivery isnt as important as the overall concept. But i do find that the iron works quicker and is more effective. i am still using a hair dryer elsewhere when a plank needs to be bent the other way or twisted. For example at the stern where the planks bend and twist into the tuck of the counter. So i am really using both. Different tools for different situations that work best for that type of bending.
  16. Cherry looks really good if you like the darker color after it oxidizes. The annoying part is getting good boards. You have to get the best grade that doesnt have any sap or gum pockets. You need to shoot for as little grain as possible and I prefer the lighter boards. I have had a great deal of success getting super clean 30" long boards 2" x 6" from Cherokee woods on the west coast. I have talked with them extensively and they understand what we need as ship modelers. They dont sell sheets but if you can mill your own with a band saw and thickness sander its really nice stuff. The shipping from the west coast to new jersey wasnt bad either. I usually by 20 of these boards at a time and it costs me $90 for shipping. About $300-$350 for the cherry. Look at these two boards of cherry.....bottom came from Cherokee. The one on the top is considered the same grade as the one on the bottom. The top board came from a source in vermont. They were both called black cherry. These are boards I milled myself. Because I wasnt there to pick them out in person you will sometimes get some clean boards that arent perfect for ship modeling. The grain is too pronounced on the top board but its still considered a clear top grade board. The grain on the bottom is more muted and about the best you can hope for with cherry. They also have an excellent quality of Alder wood which is super clear. Alder tends to be knotty but if you ask for crystal clear cut-offs 30" long they have a bunch in this length range. They are happy to get rid of them. Excellent finish and it is a bit lighter than cherry....although not my preference. It has small rays in it similar to birch. https://www.cherokeewood.com/store/alder-dimensional-lumber/ Cedar is super soft....you really need to get used to it. But it finishes wonderfully. It holds a sharp nice edge. Here is a partially framed cross section model in yellow cedar. Edges of the frames are crisp and the end grain doesnt darken or turn black when you apply a finish to it. Along with it is a close up of planking in cedar. I buy mine locally believe it or not at http://borosawmill.com/alaskan-yellow-cedar.html because they use it for log cabins and to make moldings for houses. They have huge beams 12 x 12 and 16 x 16. Its amazing to watch these guys. Check out there site. This is the only wood they have that I can use for ship models. Its unfortunately cash and carry. Unless you want to buy a truck load. Again I get 2 x 6 x 30" cut offs that are crystal clear and I can pick them out in person. Dont get the port orford cedar....its not the same stuff. Not good at all for ship models. You would be surprised where you can find it..... Its a west coast wood so you need to look in British Columbia......see here. https://www.carlwood.com/lumber/softwood/yellow-cedar/
  17. They are the same thing....its just another to way to say 1/4" scale. It should really read 1:48 whenever anyone uses that terminology but they sometime type it wrong. 1/4" and 1:48 are the same size........same scale It like 3/16" scale is the same as 1:64. Its just another way say the same thing. Its all the same size.
  18. Cherry for sure.....But many dont like the dark color that develops. On that list if you prefer a lighter wood that is hard, I would choose yellow birch. It is as hard as cherry. BUT....you must really pick out your boards by hand because you have to hunt for the pieces with little to no grain. Grain is a problem with most of those woods. So you need to select the clearest premium boards. On the softer side.....if you like the lighter woods.....Yellow poplar is really good. But again you have to pick out the good pieces that arent greenish and have little grain. Then there is of course Yellow cedar which isnt on your list. But it has very little grain at all but is very soft like basswood. It holds a sharp edge but takes some getting used to in order to use it especially after you have been used to a harder wood. It is my preferred wood after boxwood but it is about 1/4 the price. Here is my 1/4" scale frigate in yellow cedar which is common and easy to get in large 2 x 6 or 2 x 12 billets. Chuck
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