Overworked724

Outstanding. Love the wood! Very clean. 👍🏽

Okay...so I putzed around with the ship’s boat a bit more. Some wood filler and a few watery coats of white (Tamiya) paint and the exterior looks pretty decent. The interior may need a darker shade of some earthier color. Beige might be a bit historically off. This is where I’ll stop on the initial work on the ship’s boat. Will take this up a bit later in the build, but I’m pretty satisfied with the result for my lack of experience. Now speaking of lack of experience...I decided to do something ridiculous. I’m awful at sanding....takes me forever! The transom kind of scared me after reading the practicum and watching some of the other build logs. So, I decided to do something a bit out of the box...and build the transom in a way I might be able to manage the sanding a bit easier without going crazy. I decided to build the transom off the ship as separate piece to be added later. Was not as hard as I had thought it might be...I made a little jig to align the separate sections correctly and ensure the gun ports were at the right height. Having it as a separate section gives me a bit of artistic freedom in how I can add and shape the supporting sections for the stern. Maybe not be the best way of building and adding the transom, but it’s a hobby! 🤣 Sometimes you just have to do it your own way! You’ll note that in the pics above I am using a spare stern frame I had available to temporarily ‘attach’ (using some double sided tape) the transom piece to the frame...the earlier frames were warped, so after Model Shipways provided some replacements, I had a spare stern frame to use as a tool to help me prep the transom off the ship. Below are pics of the sanded down transom piece (before trimming the sides...that comes later) dry fit on the ship. Good fit... And.....moving on!

It is statements like these that make me realize that I am one of the majority on this forum....we are, but our nature and love of this hobby...nitpicking perfectionists! 😂

Great job on transom and sanding! She’s looking extremely fine....hope I can come close to your work. You are really taking great care and it shows!

Looks brilliant! Sharp work!👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

Spent time on the frames and filler blocks. You’ll note that I made one board for ‘holding’ the ship and one for use in adding the frames. The white board just has sections of wood to center and hold the keel straight but I’m always worried I’ll hit the ship and snap the keel off. 😆 The holder with the cherry wood base has holders with a much higher profile and reinforces the bulkhead former. Feels really solid and I’ll use this now for building. But it all worked out...and I was able to get the frames (even the slightly warped ones) trued up. Buddy of mine had some spare 1/2”x2” sections of basswood. Since I did not have enough balsa, I improvised and used the basswood layered blocks. I can add the balsa to the bow and stern sections where the curvature is a bit tricky. I did a fairly good job trueing up the spine of the bulkhead former. Very little skew left and what there is is not perceptible. I also added a couple of smaller blocks between the top of the frames which bracket the false deck. I wanted stability and they shouldn’t show once the main deck is on. I cut a piece of 1mm basswood which I can use to lay down the deck planks for the false deck. When I’m ready to plank the main deck, I can slip the false deck in and secure it without an issue. Spent some time continuing to sand/refine the hull of the ship's boat, as well as plinking away at making some brass plates. (What an onerous chore). Ended the day making some of my own sanding files. Moving on!!!

Thanks. I am watching your build as well. I think we had roughly the same minor twist. Hard to get rid of it...and I’m sick of staring at it without making progress. So...onward. The other issue was some warped frames but I think the blocks can address this as well. Fingers crossed.

Too late. 🤣 I spoke with a club mate and he agrees with Chuck that the misalignment will hopefully work it’s way out upon adding fillers. My twist is not too bad, almost imperceptible. But I can see it when looking down the long axis of the bulkhead former. Sigh. My impatience is a reflection of my frustration with this blasted quarantine. 😤

Decided to err on the side of caution. Put in some pins to support the keel and stem. Nervous but moving on. The bulkhead former has that slight twist. Moving on...

Looking fantastic!

Nice article! The close ups of those figureheads do give some good perspective on how I might paint the mermaid figurehead. It’s interesting how the paint colors were equally stark and garish. Perhaps way back when the palette to choose from was limited.

Thank you for the reference, CPDDET! I’ll take a look. Also, I have a reference I acquired a couple months ago which has some excellent history on details from stem to stern! But sadly, I’m not a very good sculptor or carver.

Slow day today. I decided I would pre-fit the figurehead and found the stem was still a bit too wide. Sanded it down to fit and it looks OK. The figurehead itself is actually in really good shape and it will be fun painting it at that stage much much later. I decided to try the copper plate jig a couple of times and found I was leaving too many fingerprints on the tape. In order to reduce my fingerprints, I decided to make a little jig to push/pull the tape through the tracks. It was simple enough to make using a section of quarter inch square dowel and gluing a cutoff off section of rubber band to the bottom. The rubber band ‘grabs’ the tape really well by applying only minimal downward pressure. There was no marring or bruising of the tape and it works as either a puller or pusher. I added an additional section of wood on top to act as a handle and make it easier to manipulate. It works like a charm! Moving on!!!

Decided to take a side road and start the body of the ship’s long boat. In truth, I was kind of intimidated by the long boat on the Sultana kit. The other build logs do such a beautiful job of making the ship’s boat, and I could not imagine how I could get a good boat shape without brutalizing the wood. So....many hours later...I’ve got a decent start on my ship’s boat. Not a bad result. I used all hand sanding. Took my time and many breaks. And to top it off...I figured out how to make a perfectly triangular 1mm dowel from square one!! Moving on!!!

I drilled mine to about 1”. A shallow hole give you more room to play. I personally like a solid mast. You can always sand down the base or the mast (dowel) to give you more ‘play’ to adjust the angle. Another nice thing about a deeper hole is you can (if your masts are well aligned and the hole a snug fit) forego glue altogether. I think it’s a personal choice. But your holes look great. I’m sure it will turn out beautiful regardless. 😃

Just to reiterate, this is my first framed model, and I swear...I will plank this beast! (Planking always scared me) The mast holes were a question in my mind until I saw some other modelers precut the mast hole in their bulkhead former. So I followed suit, since it will save time and effort a bit later (much later). By cutting out the holes for the masts at this stage, the rake (mast angle) is easier to ensure. I just went with the plans...an voila...a scroll saw visit later, and I had my mast holes cut out. I decided to 'box' each mast hole - since a circle can be bordered exactly within a square. 😃 So...I made some measurements and boxed in the new holes I made for the masts. The 'holes' are now boxes which perfectly fit the masts (taken from the plans they are 5/16" dowels). The plus to doing this now is that I don't need to fret about drilling the holes later (and at the correct angle)....what a mess. I did that with the Sultana and it was 'heart attack city'. The drawback to this, however, is that you will get a perfectly aligned mast which is perfectly parallel to the bulk head former (center frame). So, you will see immediately if there is a twist or lateral bend in the center frame...since looking head on, the masts will appear cockeyed (askew) to each other rather than parallel. And, like most kits, mine is not perfect. There is a slight twist towards the stem which I did not see until I inserted my faux masts to ensure fit. This means I will need to take even more time in putting in the filler blocks and trusting my measurements. But hey....it's progress. On a more somber note...I'm suffering from some serious anxiety. As we are all living in the dawning of what will be some extremely difficult times, I pray, hope, and work. I try to connect with those I love, and keep in my mind what's most important. Modeling takes my mind off for the moment. I put a monitor on my hobby desk in my den that doubles as a second screen which I use during my stay at home working hours. When I model, I switch it to a Youtube channel with pleasant scenes, and soft music. This and a glass of wine or scotch certainly takes the edge off! Stay well, shipmates. 🙏

Beautiful job! Stay safe, shipmate!

Great idea! Will follow suit and do likewise!

That’s some nice progress. I especially like the method for pre-drilling the mast holes in the bulk head former before putting in the frames! I think I might try that! My bulkhead and one or two frames are also slightly warped. Like you, hoping the fillers true the spine.

I checked the protrusion of the additional blocks added to support the exterior wall of each mounting hole. The blocks near the bow won’t interfere with the lay of the planks at all. The ones near the stern pop out only slightly on on corner and I can shave them down before I start gluing in the filler blocks.

I'll take your advice and shave them down a bit before I glue in the frames to make my life a bit easier...good advice!

Thanks, Kurt. You have a good eye! Actually, I made them long to cover the majority of the length of the hole. I planned to trim them back during the faring process after the frames and support blocks were in place. They are basswood, so they’ll be easy to trim back.

Some little progress. I took my time on adding the rabbet strip...breaking it into sections between the mounting holes. This actually made the job easier to ensure good alignment. Took the opportunity to add some height to the blocks on the building board, since the added keel and rabbet will raise up the profile. I can always remove these later if I need too... Then I tapered the stem post and added that and the keel to the bulkhead former. Took time to ensure the holes I drilled in the keel were aligned with the mounting holes and double checked with one of the screws...all good. You can see the gap along the rabbet where the mounting holes are, but these will be concealed later by planking and plating...so it a non issue. Although not shown, I also took the opportunity to pre-drill a mounting strip (using 1/2" square dowel). I can connect the board directly to the false keel so I can 'mount' the model on it and attach to my keel clamp if needed. This was something I did with the Sultana and I found it very useful, especially when working on the deck. As per Chuck's practicum, I'm leaving off the stern piece until the planking is complete...next up are the frames and filler blocks. Will take my time with these as well...got nothing but time at the moment. Moving on!

Outstanding! Another Syren! Looking forward to your build!!!

Well, I’ve been staring at the bulkhead former sitting on the building board for months. The key question in my mind was...How am I going to mount this thing? With my Sultana, a solid hull ship was easy....wood screws for the win! However, for a the USS Syren, a plank on frame, I wanted to ensure I had a handle on how it would be mounted before I started messing with the planking. Ok...I wanted a metal nut in the hull I could easily tap for mounting. It’s not rocket science. But I think I made it too difficult in my head. I got a 12” long screw (Hillman SKU 227-8956; #6-32 threaded screw 12”), and cut it in half with my Dremel. Next, I drilled a guide hole in the spine of the bulk head former at the appropriate spots I wish to put it on pedestals. The guide hole was drilled with a 7/64” bit, and the final hole with a 9/64” bit. This needed to be done very carefully and I used my mini drill press. The 9/64” bit allows enough room for the #6-32 screw to slide into the hole snugly without catching....but it leaves very little meat (wood) on the walls of the hole. I then drilled some holes perpendicular to the guide hole which will hold the screw and filed out a rectangular hole which a #6 nut can fit into without difficulty. As the nut protrudes beyond the sides of the bulkhead former (equidistant on either side), I ensured my wooden bolsters (to add meat to the side of the screw hole) had a slot which fit the width of the nut. I used a good amount of carpenters glue to ensure the additional wood supported the thin walls made by drilling the holes. So, my mounting nuts and holes are set. Most importantly...I can move on with the build without worrying about it anymore!!! Moving on...