Chuck

Please do join the group and dont hesitate to ask me any questions.   It is a fun project.

Chuck

Basically the planking....<ost folks will buy the kit because its not expensive and small and that alone doe not make it a beginner kit.  But often times they think that.   Planking a small boat hull like that is much harder than planking a larger hull.  The bends and angles required make spiling and shaping the planking a must.  This is something that beginner builders can not fudge.  Yes the hull is painted but you will see see the run of the planks inboard and using such thin planking material it doesnt leave much room for sanding out errors.   Filling any gaps may also be seen inboard.

Basically it is the proper planking expertise that makes it an advanced kit.  Especially at the small 1/4" scale.  That being said.  Its a great teaching tool to learn proper planking and with only a few strakes per side they can be ripped off and done over many times.  For example,  My local club is building the Pinnace kit and we are using it to teach more advanced planking techniques.  Some of our members have ripped off the planks three and four times.   

You will learn how to properly shape a garboard strake and where to place its forward end.  Dont let it scare you.  Give it a try but if you have never planked a small boat like this before,  you should expect some new things to pop up while doing so.

Again...read all of the logs on this site as suggested.

Chuck

Thats a loaded question...It really depends on the original thread brand and material you use.  In addition...it will also depend on how tightly you lay up the rope.

There are many factors.   The best way is to just find a bunch of thread and experiment.   Experiment with various timing to control the tightness of the lay.   

Chuck

Fantastic looking photos...wonderful stuff.   Merry Christmas!!!

Chuck

To all who knew Eddie

I am very sad to report that Eddie passed away earlier in December.  Please join me in sadly offering his family our condolences.   Eddie was a wonderful model builder and will be missed on MSW.

Rest in Peace Eddie!!!  

Chuck  

looks good but go thinner with the cap rail....a little more oatboard and a little more inboard.   The thinner the better.

Chuck

Its coming together very well.   Fine work. 

Dont buy the paint set...just buy the three colors you mentioned there....

Yes you can get a good spray-on matte fixative but it can be expensive.  A good alternative would be to use any hairspray you can find.   Its cheaper and basically the same stuff.  If you find one with a UV protection it will actually help prevent the ink from fading.  This is what I use.  Spray a light coat first and then apply to more heavier coats.  But dont soak it as the ink will probably spread.

Chuck

Looking good Augie.   Should you choose another treenail pattern remember to still go small.  Anything larger than a #78 drill bit would probably be too large and historically inaccurate.  Although it is a matter of personal taste.   Going with Bob's pattern is also not accurate so its just a matter of going with what you like.   You dont want the model to look like it has the measles.  

But thats a long way off.   Try a few tests on some scrap first.

Chuck

Thats really coming together Rusty,

Very clean and the wood colors look very good.

Chuck

Almost there Ryland.  That looks very good.  You have achieved a nice run of those planks. 

Chuck

Augie,

The planking is looking really good.   One thing to watch is when you are ready to place the second layer of the wales (both of them) on top of the first layer.  If your planking run isnt identical at the stern where the planks run off the hull,  dont just follow that first layer with the wales.  Make some adjustments on one side or the other so the wales are even port to starboard.  Should they not be even it will cause you some problems when trying to get the quarter galleries built and the PE decorations on.   The same is true at the bow when it comes time to make the headrails much later.

Try and measure down from the cap rail on both sides after taking the measurements from the plans.  You have a bit of wiggle room there if you need to adjust them to make them even.  Just giving you something else to worry about!!!! and I hope you find it helpful.

Chuck

That is better and I did the same by making the sheer curve more towards the middle.  That is more in line with teh 1750's and 60's.

The straighter sheer is more in line with those boats made much later.

Chuck

Yes you do....But not just at the stern..The whole bulwark should be lowered by about 1/16" give-or-take.  Its hard to tell from your photos though.  I would look at the other logs and my prototype and do a comparison.  Its hard to tell at this point with the tops of the frames flush with the planking.

Having not started the planking at the top to establish the proper sheer line I think the one you ended up with is quite arbitrary.  This is what caused the issue.  You can see how much of the frames remained above the planking on the prototype....the transom sticks up much higher.  But its not just your stern..Its whole length needs to be shorter.  This is a good opportunity to draw a nice graceful curve of a sheer line and then file down to it.

Chuck

Very nice and clean build.  Well done!!

I am not sure where he got his but you can them pretty small at a place that sells them for eyeglasses.  Just do a google search and you find some real tiny screws.  smaller even than are used typically for glasses.

That is quite a change from the sticks and strings.   I have never modeled a steel hull so I will watch with interest.  From what I understand these types of models are all about the paintwork ans finishing.  Jim H (captainPugwash) is very skilled at that sort of thing if you need some tips with new materials.

Chuck

Well done on the skylight Tex. 

That looks very god Chris.  The painting of the trailboard and the figurehead are especially good and blend in very well with the wood.   

Boy that is looking really sharp.    Well done!!

It is looking good.   Just as the others mentioned you should shorten the length of the garboard quite a bit.   Otherwise the remaining planks will need to be tapered too much along the stem.   I show in red the approximate amount.  I would suggest after the garboard plank is in place that you divide up the remaining space at each bulkhead so you can see just how the remaining planks will run and how much they need to taper.  Use a tick strip at the widest point of the opening midship to determine how many planks you will need.  Once you know how many planks will fit at that widest point you can mark the width of that number of planks at every bulkhead in the opening.   This will show you exactly how the planks will run and how much they need to be tapered.

Im guessing you will probably need six more plank strakes to complete that side of the hull once the garboard is in position.

Chuck

Not at all.  there will always be some that are hard to label...Just give it your best shot and an admin or mioderator will adjust it if it needs to be.

Chuck

I used a dremel with sanding drum...the small sanding drums.  The frames were taken down almost to the right size.  It leaves a very rough and irregular finish but does the job and you need to be very careful and use a light touch.

Then the sanding sticks and other folded pieces of sandpaper cleaned it up.  You have to get those frames pretty thin towards the top so the caprail isnt too wide.  It will make the model look heavy and chunky.   Making it thin gives the model a light and delicate feel.

Chuck

I have placed a banner on the right side of the forum and also on the MSW home page...this will ensure easy access moving forward.  Adam has been working very hard on this and it will soon be the go to place to find info about ship kits.   This will replace that spreadsheet Floyd was referencing.  All of us on MSW thanks you..please give Adam any help you can with this if it is at all possible.

Wonderful work Adam  

Chuck