Overworked724

After a day of meetings...was almost too tired to mess with the Syren. But I simply couldn’t resist a bit of minor progress. 
 
The keel piece that’s been hanging out beyond the end of the stern has been driving me crazy. 


 
It’s like a mini bowsprit...just waiting to get snapped off!!!  But, the time had finally come to add a the stern piece. I can’t tell you how much of a relief it was to saw off that keel piece extension. 


 
Oh yeah!!!  Moving on....

Decided to get my fashion pieces in now. I still need to put in my fixed blocks and trunnels, so getting the fashion pieces in now helps clarify where the stern double blocks will be located in each side of the hull. 
 


 
Moving on!......

Decided to make a few quick plank swatches to futz around with the nails/glue/stains.  I found using a flat pair of tweezers to dip the tip of the nail in some glue solution (2:1 water:glue) worked best.  The cedar nails have some backbone and don't tend to break.  Good to try now...the #76 drill bit hole was too tight a fit and didn't give enough room to play.  No issues after moving to a #75.  It was amazingly quick work.
 
I made some 3 plank swatches and simulated the butt ends with a razor blade cut.  I wasn't trying to be neat with the alignment of the nails...just wanted to see the size perspective. 

I think the small nails work well.  I tried some natural stain (A/B) and some Golden Oak by Minwax.  The cross grain of the nails really soak up the Golden Oak stain and truly stick out.  The cedar planks absorb the stain very evenly...very little grain interference.  I like the more subdued effect of the Natural stain.  I might try some more later using basswood treen nails, but at least I have some clear idea of technique.  The nail pattern for B and C are identical.   A bit on the fence on the double nail pattern.  

Did some light sanding on the bulkheads to even out the bow...no issues.


 
Moving on!!...  
 

Happy 4th!  Took some time to continue planking the Starboard side bulkheads. Not as clean as the port side but hoping sanding will level out some of the rough spots. Pics on this later. 
 
Created another nail punch using a smaller gauge needle. Worked well. The new nails fit a #76 drill hole. Meaning I can get 2 tree nails into one plank without it looking too oversized.

Although I’m sure it is still over sized!!!!  The tree nails on the bottom are a better choice I think. Decision made. 👍🏽

Moving on!!!

 
 

Here is how I carved my planks. Guessing it’s similar to others, but the cedar made all the difference. 
 
Tools include a triangular (not square) micro file. 

Mark where you want the gap

Mark how deep you want the gap to be

Use a straight razor to etch the wood up to (but not past) the point of depth. I went slightly less than the required depth. Got good results. 

Use a #11 to chip out the meat. I use a block to set the plank on to ensure the blade is square with the surface of the cutting edge. 


Do one side of the meat then the other. 

I use a 220 grit sanding stick (popsicle stick) to take out the roughness. 


Use the triangular file for the corners and the trim up the vertical edges. 

That might be a novice way of doing it. But it works for me. The wood makes all the difference. Try this with basswood and you are in for a world of frustration. It’s just too brittle and soft. The cedar really holds an edge. 👍🏽
 

A bit of weekend-rainy day progress.  After getting my top row of wales in (using Alaskan cedar), my intention was to focus on the exterior bulkhead planking.  Rather than alternating port/starboard in a row by row fashion, I found myself pursued by the Muse of Completion and simply could not stop once I started the port side.  Frankly, Since the bulkhead framing is so stable and supported, I'm not sure that the ship will be pulled out of alignment by completely planking only one side of the bulkhead at one time.  If I screw up my model, I'll consider it a valuable lesson learned!  
 
In the meantime, I was more focused on trying to determine if my seventh row of planks was in jeopardy due to the 'upsweep' I saw when placing the wales in the bow section.  Short answer is 'Yes'.  I'll get to that...
 
I decided since I had such accurately cut planks, to treat each section between the ports as a separate section...and trust in the Good Lord that my accuracy in cutting my planks was as good as I had hoped.  So I started with the initial plank with required the 'sill' cut outs for the ports...

Progressed to the easier 'between port' sections....

And found myself cutting out the 'lintels' in the top plank of the ports (6th plank above the wales)...only to see that the bulkhead framing near the bow was a too short for secure placement of the seventh plank...by about 2mm or so...roughly the height of that marginal upsweep I had posted a concern over in my past entry.  So, I decided to glue an 'extender' plank in the inside of the 6th plank to offer some gluing surface area before fiddling with the seventh plank.  I can easily remove this later if needed...but I've learned surface area is everything when glueing...and I'm still a beginner!  I need as much help as I can get...


This actually worked very well.  The seventh plank slid on with no issue and seems the overall layout seems to be pretty close to the plans.  It's also much more sturdy - you can feel it.   Sanding the interior won't seem like such a horrendously sensitive task now (but I'll still be very careful).
 

There is some sanding to be done in the bow. The planks tended to relaxed a bit...

But luckily my cedar plank strips are slightly wider than 1/18"...by a nanometer or two!  The unevenness in the bow will be addressed by sanding very easily, but I'll wait until I've done with the starboard bulkhead planking and placed the other two wale strips before I start mucking about with sanding.  There is a LOT of sanding still in my future - and why rush it.
 
One nice thing to note...I am really enjoying working with the cedar wood.  This is my first time using a wood other than basswood and I can truly understand now why modelers don't prefer basswood.  The cedar has a tighter grain, and leaves a much cleaner cut, and does not get all 'thready'.   I've already decided that I prefer the yellowish color.  So I'll be a bit different and leave the natural wood color....so I'll stain with Minwax Natural stain and follow it up with tung oil...when I get to that point.  I will redo my 'faux' deck using cedar to match the main deck.  I'll be using toothpicks for trunnels.
 
Moving on...to the starboard side...and praying that the work and plank alignment will match!!!  
 

 

A bit more progress.  Touched up a few of the ports with filler...a couple were pretty rough.  Smoothed out OK.  Didn't go hog wild with the paint, but I made sure I got full coverage on the exterior and interior walls.  I even painted the interior walls of the sweep ports - until I remembered I still had considerable interior wall sanding to do.... 
 
Took the plunge and attached the stern framing...I almost didn't want to do it!  Once I glued the piece in, and ensured it was square and set, it really sticks out as one of those pieces that's screams, "Hey!  Knock me off!  I dare you!"
 

As flimsy as it looks, the filler pieces supports it perfectly, and the stern assembly is supported and glued to both it and to the last frame (26).  So it's pretty locked in...but it still looks like a hook from the side.  So I'll be relieved to get the bulk head planking underway to give to additional support.
 
Here are some baby pics.  It looks remarkably like most other Syren builds at this stage.  Although the paint shows up as 'red' - it's actually a darker red or vermillion.  I wanted something a bit less gaudy, and bright cherry red is my least favorite color.  So I added a few drops of 'gunmetal grey' and 'desert yellow' to a 'red' pot of Tamiya paint.  It looks pretty close to blood, even though the pics don't reflect it...and I prefer the darker hue.





Moving on...
 

I realize I have been saying 'transom' when I actually meant 'stern framing'.  Oh well...live and learn new nautical terms!  

Putzed a bit with the STERN FRAMING today...whittled the sides and counter protrusion so it marries up with my test planking.  (I'm going to assume I'm close...but it's a coin flip!). Actually, my dremel and a tongue depressor sanding stick (240 grit) were all the tools I required to make quick work of the trim job. 



I think I have hit the point where I need to jump into the more difficult and finicky part.  With my exterior sanded and ready for planking, I am both nervous and reluctant to permanently attach the stern frame piece to the ship.  I also need to determine what wood I choose to commit for the exterior hull planking as well as the deck.  Also - whether I want to take the plunge and make an attempt at creating my own hull sheaves (saw some builds where this really made a nice impression)...decisions, decisions...
 
Moving on...   

Well, been an exciting day. Glued to TV watching the SpaceX launch. Amazing stuff. Made me feel like a kid again!
 
Afterwards, retired to the shipyard (actually sent to Shipyard by a grumpy Admiral!) to see if I couldn’t get the battens affixed on both sides to start my gunport sills. 
 
My mistake was thinking it would be easy. I had a hard time getting both sides aligned and giving me a good sweep from stem to stern. My other mistake was assuming it would be easy to get the battens in!  But I’m the end I did...I think I’m close...so I’ll call it good and move on...
 
Here are some pics.  I figure it was worth the additional time in the long run. 
 





Moving on...

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!

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.  😤

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. 🙏
 

 
 

Got a chance to spend time in shipyard!
 
Some slow but steady progress. Took it slow and got the majority of the char off the bulkhead former, frames and the stern pieces. Gentle sanding...you can see they still look a bit ‘dirty’ but they are smooth surfaces and should provide good purchase with glue. Very gentle sanding on the stern pieces!
 
Dry fit the frames - there is enough wiggle room for a good fit and still ensure square alignment. Will use fillers in between frames as others have done when the time comes. Going to take my dear sweet time on this part since I know how misalignment will ruin the day. 
 
Played around with an the false second deck. Will simply build it on a thin piece of wood and slide it in place. Used a cardboard cutout as a trial piece. Seems to work ok. 
 
Some ‘baby’ pics below. Off and running!!!
 

 





 
 

Onto Chapter 16 - Bowsprit
 
I completed the sweeps, attached them, and lashed them down along with the longboat.  Two pictures are attached, one is the sweeps drying after a coating of tongue oil (See Newbie Below).  The second is of the sweeps and tie down rigging for the longboat.  For the sweeps, I used the drill rig to sand the shafts into the round shape required.  I found that the shaping worked best by doing the shafts first, followed by the paddle end, and lastly the handles. (Both paddle head, and handle were done by hand.)
 
Newbie Advice:  If you haven’t  worked with laser cut parts before, be very careful where the paddle head and shaft meet.  Laser cut parts make it much easier to shape the final part, but as the cuts get closer together, the burned areas also become weaker.  This can be seen in the circled area.  The part where the paddle head became much stronger than the shaft, and it broke with just slight pressure.  This is also relevant when lashing the finished sweeps together.  When tightening them together in a group, it is easy to snap off a paddle head.  I will not admit to having done this myself….oops, too late.
 
 
 

Decided to post this work a bit earlier as this chapter is very crucial to the model.  Got the ports painted red.  I did the Batton lines marked, then I used my plank holder clips to hold the batton in place as I tried to fit on the 7 gunwal planks.  I think I nailed it as the 7 boards fit right to the top of the ribs as they should.  Either I got luckier than I should be or the building skills are coming back after my hiatus. 
 

 

 

 

 
 

looks like real hinges to me.  i am disliking more and more shaping finiky brass that wont blacken.  wood that is even and stays painted  - great idea

Ran into a snag. The bridle port doors nearest the bow are single piece doors  that SHOULD have a longer hinge strap (photo etched).  But, my kit either didn’t come with them or I lost them. It would not look right with the smaller hinge straps…and I did check but it seems off. 
 
I was going to try to create some out of brass when I thought I could use thin boxwood strips I made to create the shingles for the gallery roofs I made earlier. (Doesn’t hurt to not throw away anything sometimes!)
 
A quick coat of paint and Waa-La!  Easy bypass and they look pretty good. I can trim the strap lengths easily and add on the hinges after I’ve glued them on the ship. 
 




Moving on!!!  
 

Ran into a snag. The bridle port doors nearest the bow are single piece doors  that SHOULD have a longer hinge strap (photo etched).  But, my kit either didn’t come with them or I lost them. It would not look right with the smaller hinge straps…and I did check but it seems off. 
 
I was going to try to create some out of brass when I thought I could use thin boxwood strips I made to create the shingles for the gallery roofs I made earlier. (Doesn’t hurt to not throw away anything sometimes!)
 
A quick coat of paint and Waa-La!  Easy bypass and they look pretty good. I can trim the strap lengths easily and add on the hinges after I’ve glued them on the ship. 
 




Moving on!!!  
 

About 1/3 of the way done. Really trying to focus on laying these little suckers down consistently. One thing I’m really happy about is the nail pattern. Doesn’t show up on the photos above, but the effect is really nice.  The bolts actually show up nicely!
 

 
It’s moving much faster now. But I feel like I’ll be making plates until Easter. 
 

Ran into a snag. The bridle port doors nearest the bow are single piece doors  that SHOULD have a longer hinge strap (photo etched).  But, my kit either didn’t come with them or I lost them. It would not look right with the smaller hinge straps…and I did check but it seems off. 
 
I was going to try to create some out of brass when I thought I could use thin boxwood strips I made to create the shingles for the gallery roofs I made earlier. (Doesn’t hurt to not throw away anything sometimes!)
 
A quick coat of paint and Waa-La!  Easy bypass and they look pretty good. I can trim the strap lengths easily and add on the hinges after I’ve glued them on the ship. 
 




Moving on!!!  
 

Nice work-around!

So...spent the last couple days on the 'Capstan Redux' project.  It was my own damned fault for using Golden Oak stain.  I wasn't thinking and I knew the effect, especially after the stain dried, would be ghastly....and it was.  But, it gave me another fun problem to solve.  So, here was my brief journey using boxwood to scratch build the capstan.
 
I don't have a lathe...so the little circular sandwich pieces were a problem.  So I thought of using my Dremel sanding attachment, and create a sandwich of roughly hewn boxwood sections, then run it across sandpaper.  So I cut a bunch, drilled a hole in them, loaded them up, and TaaDaa!   😆  Worked like a charm.  
 

 

 

 

 
I made the top circular section sans hole (photos not shown) by glueing the roughly rounded section to the top of a wooden dowel, sticking it in my drill, and doing the same thing as above....then I just soaked the assembly in water to separate.
 
The cog section was easy to make using my drill press, sandwiching the section between other wood...to get consistent depth and width.
 

 
The whelps (leg-like sections of the base) were a bit difficult for me.  I decided to manually shape them by cutting a groove in the individual sections of boxwood with my table saw and using a straight razor to trim the meat.  The gap acts as a terminator to prevent the wood from splitting.
 

 

 

 
I combined together and bulk sanded the little guys using an emery board.  This was about as close as I could get to the laser cut pieces.
 

 
Then I put them all together...
 

 
And decided I would put in some bolts (nails) on the drum as a nice detail.
 

 
The two rows of boxwood chocks (yeah...these suckers are small) I created using boxwood strips cut 'cross grain' and sanding them to a point.
 

 
Then I touch up sanded to ensure the tip 'fit' in the the appropriate section I was filling, then I simply used a straight razor to slice off the end section.  This was easy and the grain runs across the width of the wood strip.  Then I touch sanded a bit for a good fit before gluing in.  This was easier than using a dowel.
 

 
The end result wasn't perfect....since the holes aren't square.  But - again, it's a minor thing and I'm sure I could remake with a perfect square hole if I'd been a bit more careful of my measurements.  
 
Final result was a pretty decent redux of the original capstan.
 

 

 
And I'll consider this a win over my original attempt using the kit sections.  But this was not the kits fault....it was mine.  The laser cut parts were easy to separate, prep and assemble, I just screwed up (badly) the staining.  So - word to the wise, don't go messing with stain unless you know what it's going to look like!!
 
Here is the final comparison.  Kit (left) and my scratch built (right).  I'm leaving it completely natural.
 

 
Moving on....
 

 
 

Coppering is complete!  Cutting away the tape was a bit more difficult than I expected. Doing it this way made it easy to visualize the waterline, but it left a nasty edge to the existing copper plates. 
 

 
However, the copper tape was wider than the stripping tape, so installing the upper belt was a breeze. 
 
A few of the copper plate edges have popped up, but nothing major. So I’ll call this finished and move on to the rudder. 
 

 

 

 

 

Let Me Explain
In the two pictures, you can see that it’s time for the cap rail.  I tried fitting the 2 laser cut parts, but they both were just too narrow.  The instructions indicate that the boat should be turned over and the outline be traced on 1/32” basswood.  However, I think these were for a time when the laser forms were not available, and there isn’t any left over wood with a big enough space to accommodate the traced outline.  Sooooo, off to Hobby Lobby for some stock.  The result is what you see in the pics, and I will show the finished results when ready.
 

Ran into a snag. The bridle port doors nearest the bow are single piece doors  that SHOULD have a longer hinge strap (photo etched).  But, my kit either didn’t come with them or I lost them. It would not look right with the smaller hinge straps…and I did check but it seems off. 
 
I was going to try to create some out of brass when I thought I could use thin boxwood strips I made to create the shingles for the gallery roofs I made earlier. (Doesn’t hurt to not throw away anything sometimes!)
 
A quick coat of paint and Waa-La!  Easy bypass and they look pretty good. I can trim the strap lengths easily and add on the hinges after I’ve glued them on the ship. 
 




Moving on!!!