mikiek

Made a sample stick with the current J.A. Green that is already on the hull and a light blue. I'm not over-wowed by it, but at the same time I can't say I don't like it. Zoran, is this the blue you had in mind?
 
If the boat were painted like that it would kinda remind me of the European fishing boats you see in the tourist photos. The ones where the boats are dragged up on the beach and they're a rainbow of colors. Keep in mind for some reason the green on the stick looks darker than the same green on the boat.
 
You guys let me know what you think.
 

 

 
Also wrapped up the rudder  (except for paint) yesterday. I'm going to leave it off for know. It is supposed to hang down slightly below the keel which makes keeping it on the work stand difficult.
 

 

 

Zoran - an interesting idea. I'll consider any idea. Here's my thoughts:
 
I am trying to imagine how light? Sky Blue? Sky Blue with white mixed in? White with a few drops of blue mixed in? Maybe you have a photo of what you had in mind?
 
Are typical leudo hulls completely painted? I remember you said the bottom used to be tarred, is that still done? Would the tar be applied like caulk (in between planks) or spread over the entire bottom? The only tar I see around here is the stinky black stuff they use on roads. Is there some sort of marine tar that is different?
 
I like having some of the hull showing natural wood. Right now that's above the waterline but it doesn't have to be. Although stripping the paint off the bottom half of the hull might get a little messy.
 
If I left the green on the hull with blue above it, I'm not sure how those two colors would look together. I can try it on some scrap. To match the colors better,  I could darken the green but probably not lighten it easily.
 
So if you were about to paint a clean Trajta hull and you wanted to use light blue for the upper portion how would you color the bottom part?

A bit of confusion for me. Tholes & pins for the oars? Old manual says 6x6mm and 3x3mm, make thole pins , tholes....  I don't see any reference in the new version.
 
For the oar holders I used 6x6 for the base. Could probably do the same for tholes but 3x3 will sit on the rail better.

Things are winding down on the hull. Other than the oars I believe all the pieces are in. Tomorrow I dust off the lathe and see how many of those nice square walnut sticks I can mess up. On the odd chance that I get on a roll I'll have to remember to taper the mast also.
 
I'm still on the fence regarding painting the upper hull. If there was some way to try before you buy I'd be all over it. But if it turns into something I really don't like, I'm hosed.
 
Here she is:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Often times, any level of gloss on a model does not look good. The real ship might have had some gloss in it, but gloss tends not to translate well through the smaller scale of the model. 
 
Russ 

Most stuff wasn't shiny. If it was it was probably oiled and mainly things like deck furniture, rails, etc.  I would paint with a flat. If you want no shine then varnish with matte. For a touch of shine try satin. IMO semi gloss is too much.

I don't know. It depends on how the laptop screen is angled.  I think the first pic may be closer than I thought. After all it's 10-white to 1-green. And it was a light green.

Most stuff wasn't shiny. If it was it was probably oiled and mainly things like deck furniture, rails, etc.  I would paint with a flat. If you want no shine then varnish with matte. For a touch of shine try satin. IMO semi gloss is too much.

I'm not sure Don. It's on the same laser sheet as the rudder but I'm not having any ideas  as to where it might go. In my experience pieces like that have gone on the stern post, but it doesn't seem to add anything there. The part is shown on the plans but it is all by itself in an inset.

Thank you Zoran - I would not have thought of a step.
 
I lightened up the blue, or at least I tried, 10 parts white - 1 part blue. It didn't seem to change much. Running with Zoran's idea I tried a stick with very pale green. The color is washed out in the photos but it is interesting in real life. I don't have enough dark green to do a larger test surface so sticks are as good as it will get for now.
 

 

 
 

Hi Mr. Mike ...The rudder has to be completed with a piece of the strip remain, for the strip at the bottom ...
Triangular part is to be glued at the right side of the hull, at the stern (P1 and P6). It is the foot support when walking into the boat ...
Zoran

I'm not sure Don. It's on the same laser sheet as the rudder but I'm not having any ideas  as to where it might go. In my experience pieces like that have gone on the stern post, but it doesn't seem to add anything there. The part is shown on the plans but it is all by itself in an inset.

Doug - if you are considering buying another piece and doing it again, think about getting or making (I don't know what diameter your dowel is) something like a 1/4"x1/4"x24" stick. Whatever the dowel dimensions are the stick should be a little larger. Use some wood with a good straight grain. Make your own spars from square sticks.
 
It's almost a guarantee that a dowel will warp over time. While the grain appears straight, closer examination usually shows it is not and that is why they warp. I have a page or two in my Niagara log that shows what I did and even a jig that can help taper and cut octagonal sides should you need that.
 
A suggestion for turning - use a file or rasp to take away material at first. More bang for your buck. 50 or 100 grain paper next and then some 200.
 
To get a good consistent shape, start where the spar will be thinnest. Let's say that's the left side. With the drill/lathe on,place the file on the left side and hold for a second. Slowly slide file to the right about an inch than back to the left. Then out to the right 2 inches and back left. Out 3 inches and back. Follow that pattern until you get to the middle of the spar (or where ever the taper stops) then do it all over again.
 
You might also see about holding the drill in a vise or something to free up a hand.

Doug - seems like you could do #3 without the collet. I'm guessing you put one end in the drill and started tapering the other end? Instead, taper the end in the chuck leaving enough for the chuck to hold on to. When nearly done stop. At that point you could either work the free end or put the free end in the chuck and repeat. Remove from chuck, cut off the big ends and touch up by hand. If you had a lathe that's probably how you would do it.
 
What are you using to reduce the material? Sandpaper? File/Rasp? Is the drill mounted somehow or just laying on your bench?

Made a sample stick with the current J.A. Green that is already on the hull and a light blue. I'm not over-wowed by it, but at the same time I can't say I don't like it. Zoran, is this the blue you had in mind?
 
If the boat were painted like that it would kinda remind me of the European fishing boats you see in the tourist photos. The ones where the boats are dragged up on the beach and they're a rainbow of colors. Keep in mind for some reason the green on the stick looks darker than the same green on the boat.
 
You guys let me know what you think.
 

 

 
Also wrapped up the rudder  (except for paint) yesterday. I'm going to leave it off for know. It is supposed to hang down slightly below the keel which makes keeping it on the work stand difficult.
 

 

 

I now have some more J.A. Green ordered. Zoran, that blue was 5 parts white, 1 part sky blue. I will try 6 parts white and maybe 7, but as Russ commented I should make a simulated hull side and try another sample.
 
What kind of strip goes on the bottom of the rudder? Wood?
 
There is also a piece #49 on one of the laser sheets. It is small and triangular. What is it for?

Tom - I mixed something I call Dijon Yellow. And it truly matches the color of Grey Poupon. I went the opposite direction - started with Buff and yellowed it up some. With a little white & brown for seasoning. When mixing any paint do one of 2 things - make more than you could possibly need or make dang sure you mix drop by drop and write down the recipe so you can reproduce it.
 
After you finish A I would suggest the garboard next. These are kind of tricky and are typically a wider plank then the rest. Some people will also use the same width for the plank right above it, hence the possible need for different widths for regular planking. There are a few guidelines you can follow for the garboard that I can pass on when you are ready. If the garboard is not laid correctly it will have a negative impact on the rest of your job - especially at the bow.
 
Don't know how much tapering at the bow & stern you have done yet, but don't wait more than a couple of strakes the start. That will keep you from having to make planks with toothpick ends or doing a lot of spiling later on.
 
I understand your thoughts on the dividers. You should really spend the money on a good one when you are ready, so do that when you can afford to drop a few bucks. The one I use are now priced around $125 on Amazon. That said, they really can eliminate some of the questions you are asking. You can recalculate bands in the middle of planking, and they will tell you how wide planks should be. After putting in the garboard and a few planks above it, I was partially done with band C and decided to make 1 band out of the remaining space. Dividers made that a simple matter.
 
You are about to hit the nastiest part of the job. Getting those sticks running down the side of the hull and then turned 90 degrees to cover the transom is challenging. We all soak planks and then bend them. What worked well for me at the transom was soaking them and then putting a twist in them. I used two vises, clamped the wet stick in one, twisted the other end (1/2 twist for most, full twist for 1) and put that in the other vise. Then heat it or let it dry naturally. If you decide to do that be aware that one side of the hull needs a clockwise twist the other side needs counter clockwise. I don't remember which was which but You should see what I'm talking about.
 
Have fun.........

I now have some more J.A. Green ordered. Zoran, that blue was 5 parts white, 1 part sky blue. I will try 6 parts white and maybe 7, but as Russ commented I should make a simulated hull side and try another sample.
 
What kind of strip goes on the bottom of the rudder? Wood?
 
There is also a piece #49 on one of the laser sheets. It is small and triangular. What is it for?

Hi Russ and thank you.  I think that is my usual m.o. , make a big (or too big) surface of scraps. My immediate problem is that just to be able to paint that stick I had to add thinner to the pretty much empty paint bottle and scrape down the sides just to get a couple of brushfulls. I'll need to order some more. What do you think of the blue?

Made a sample stick with the current J.A. Green that is already on the hull and a light blue. I'm not over-wowed by it, but at the same time I can't say I don't like it. Zoran, is this the blue you had in mind?
 
If the boat were painted like that it would kinda remind me of the European fishing boats you see in the tourist photos. The ones where the boats are dragged up on the beach and they're a rainbow of colors. Keep in mind for some reason the green on the stick looks darker than the same green on the boat.
 
You guys let me know what you think.
 

 

 
Also wrapped up the rudder  (except for paint) yesterday. I'm going to leave it off for know. It is supposed to hang down slightly below the keel which makes keeping it on the work stand difficult.
 

 

 

Hey everyone. I'm still finishing the hull details and the few deck toys that go with this build. Everything is looking good - no real problems. I did have that question on mast rake angle, turns out there isn't any for Trajta. Straight up & down. I keep thinking back to that mast foot that I glued in the wrong place. What a nightmare that would have been if I had not caught it. I've also painted the hull. Above the paint line the rest of the hull is wiped down with the linseed mixture and stained. Most everything on the deck is just the linseed. I'm still liking that on the walnut.
 
Here's a few shots:
 

 

 

 
The bitts

 
Hatch covers - yes I know one looks crooked. Per the plans!
Door to the forward cargo hold - I glued this one shut

 
Door to the aft cargo hold - I glued the door off to the side so you can see in.

 
The deck

 
I have not put varnish on anything yet although you would never know it looking at the deck.
 

Made a sample stick with the current J.A. Green that is already on the hull and a light blue. I'm not over-wowed by it, but at the same time I can't say I don't like it. Zoran, is this the blue you had in mind?
 
If the boat were painted like that it would kinda remind me of the European fishing boats you see in the tourist photos. The ones where the boats are dragged up on the beach and they're a rainbow of colors. Keep in mind for some reason the green on the stick looks darker than the same green on the boat.
 
You guys let me know what you think.
 

 

 
Also wrapped up the rudder  (except for paint) yesterday. I'm going to leave it off for know. It is supposed to hang down slightly below the keel which makes keeping it on the work stand difficult.
 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by Don. I like the green too although I wonder now whether I should have darkened it a little. That's just plain ole Tamiya J.A. Green. I was trying to avoid some special mix. Painters remorse?
 
One thing strange I realized - I did the usual masking tape to get a clean edge with the paint. The upper part of the hull - including where the tape went - was already treated with linseed mixture and stain. When I pulled the tape up it appears to have lifted some of the color off. Look closely at the pix, you can see right above the green edge the plain wood is lighter in color. Unfortunately the tape has already made its way to the garbage so I can't check the adhesive side to see if it has stain on it. Anyway, I thought stain soaked into wood, not cover over like paint. I use Tamiya masking tape and have never had a problem like this before, although I've done a lot more painting than staining up to this point in my career.

A bit of confusion for me. Tholes & pins for the oars? Old manual says 6x6mm and 3x3mm, make thole pins , tholes....  I don't see any reference in the new version.
 
For the oar holders I used 6x6 for the base. Could probably do the same for tholes but 3x3 will sit on the rail better.

Zoran - an interesting idea. I'll consider any idea. Here's my thoughts:
 
I am trying to imagine how light? Sky Blue? Sky Blue with white mixed in? White with a few drops of blue mixed in? Maybe you have a photo of what you had in mind?
 
Are typical leudo hulls completely painted? I remember you said the bottom used to be tarred, is that still done? Would the tar be applied like caulk (in between planks) or spread over the entire bottom? The only tar I see around here is the stinky black stuff they use on roads. Is there some sort of marine tar that is different?
 
I like having some of the hull showing natural wood. Right now that's above the waterline but it doesn't have to be. Although stripping the paint off the bottom half of the hull might get a little messy.
 
If I left the green on the hull with blue above it, I'm not sure how those two colors would look together. I can try it on some scrap. To match the colors better,  I could darken the green but probably not lighten it easily.
 
So if you were about to paint a clean Trajta hull and you wanted to use light blue for the upper portion how would you color the bottom part?