FriedClams

Beautifully done!!
Rick

Nice, neat, methodical work, JD!

When repeatedly test fitting these pieces, care had to be taken in order to maintain consistent placement of the two articulating planks against their stanchions.

For this reason, I drilled a couple of holes in the aft plank and its underlying stanchion, large enough to accommodate a T-pin. One was also placed in the forward plank. These ensured that the planks were landing against the stanchions the same way every time.

The forward end of the forward plank was shaped to meet the filler block.

But besides the filler block, this end of the plank currently has nothing to land against.

So, it’s time to model the visible portion of the knightheads, the solid gray pieces of wood on either side of the bowsprit. The hawsepipes for the anchor chain travel through these pieces.
 
It’s worth noting that this picture exemplifies a difference between my model as built to the original builder’s plans and how it exists today. During the refit in 1999-2000, additional stanchions were added toward the bow that were not part of the original design. Those stanchions are visible in this photo but are absent from my model.

 

The knighthead pieces were built up from a couple of pieces of scrap, and their surfaces sanded down to accommodate their angle against the deck and the area of the bowsprit.

There is a small hole for the anticipated location of the hawsepipe where it emerges from the planking, previously estimated by eye.

However, this photo from 2024 suggests that my initial attempt is located too far aft.

So the position was adjusted and marked with a pencil mark.

Then the old hole was filled with a dowel and cut smooth, then painted over.

I placed a small pin in the bottom surface of the knighthead and drilled a corresponding hole in the underlying covering board, to give it some strength.

 

Now it is fitted in place. This piece will be trimmed down in the future to accommodate the width of the 8-inch-wide bowsprit. The beginnings of a hawsepipe have been started in it; the hawsepipe will not be brought to its outer surface until the overlying planking is installed.

Now it’s time to dry fit the first of the four bulwark planks, again ensuring that there is no gap between it and the covering board, but also ensuring that the plank is pressed up against the stanchions.

I made these little things to sit on top of the plank so that a clamp could push against them and the underlying plank, forcing the plank down against the covering board.

After a lot of dry fitting, and after purchasing many more clamps, the glue-up was performed and left to dry overnight. But first I attempted to reach any squeeze-out of glue between the clamps that would be visible inboard.

Here is the next morning, with the clamps removed and showing the various support pieces of scrap that enabled a proper grip of the clamps on the plank.

The scrap pieces on the stanchions ensured that the grip of the clamps on the plank was directly inboard and not on an angle.

Voila!!

No gaps!

There are some areas on the inboard surface of the plank that will require some touch-up painting, but the overall result is really nice.

 

These pictures remind me to say that the inboard surface of the plank was pre-painted, and any paint drifting into the areas where the plank meets a stanchion had to be scraped away before applying glue.

Here I am dry-fitting the forward plank; I have not yet glued this one in place.

 

Let’s have another look at that scarf joint area! (This one is actually for the opposite, port, side.) Very pleased with how that looks.
 
So, once the remaining 3 planks are installed, then planking of the rest of the bulwarks should go pretty quickly, followed by installation of the rail.
 
At the same time, I am working on marking out the waterline, plus I am continuing to work on the miniature carving of the trailboard. So much to do!
 

So, now on to the first bulwark plank. In this picture, I am mocking up how many planks there will be in order to get to the undersurface of the rail. The first plank is slightly thicker than the rest, and again it will feature that bead that is visible in the initial picture above.

Next step is to create the bead in the top edge of the first bulwark plank. This required me to learn about how to make a scraper. There will be four strips of wood for modeling this plank, 2 on each side with a scarf joint at midships.

I used a cutoff wheel on a Dremel to carefully cut into the edge of this X-Acto blade. I found that the gap between the top edge (on the left) and the barb of metal adjacent to it was too small to accurately cut using the cutoff wheel. The solution was to make the strips overly wide, then scrape in the bead feature, then run the strips through the thickness sander while tilted up on their edges.

In this way, I could end up with planks of the right width, with the bead feature right at the top edge and in scale with the actual appearance.
 
I had these great pictures taken through the microscope showing some of the process of cutting in the scuppers, but MSW has decided not to accept those pictures! Oh well.

This picture shows that the first plank needs to be steam bent to accommodate the curve of the hull, of course along its thin dimension, but also including edge setting. This is particularly necessary in the bow, where the hull has a degree of “powderhorn” that leads to the first plank initially curving upward, but then curving in a downward direction as it approaches its end at the bowsprit.

The powderhorn is accentuated in this picture. The plank ends against a temporary spacer applied to the stem, which corresponds to the width of a support block located below the bowsprit. The bowsprit itself will be much wider than this spacer.

Here we have one of the aft planks, with its scuppers cut into it. Placement had to be precise due to the location of the scuppers as well as where the aft end of the plank meets the transom planking.
 
In addition, the bottom edge of this plank had to be shaped so that it cleanly met the level surface of the covering board, accounting for how great or little the underlying stanchions leaned in comparison to the covering board.

This picture illustrates that simply placing a clamp on the plank leads to a gap at its lower edge, in part due to the force placed on the upper edge of the plank by the clamp, but also due to the shape of its bottom edge.

Shown here is the scarf joint and its placement relative to the underlying stanchions, as well as some gapping between the covering board and the plank.

Here I am beginning to work the other side of the scarf joint into the forward plank.

It’s always satisfying to see a scarf joint come together!
 

And this one has the added complexity of a scupper within it, as will the joint on the port side.

This shows how the scupper is worked into the joint.
 
More posts will follow shortly...

Things are really starting to get interesting on the Mary Day hull! This photo was taken this past summer while on a trip with friends on the Mary Day. The picture shows the next area of interest, as I will finish off the covering boards by applying a strip to their outboard edge, then manufacturing and installing the first bulwark plank. The picture shows that there are numerous scuppers along the entire length of the first plank. There is also a bead detail at the top edge of the first plank that will be modeled. The interface between the covering board and the first bulwark plank is a critical joint in the appearance of the model and it will take some work to accomplish. After that, installation of the remainder of the bulwark planking should be much simpler. I will break this part down into a few posts.

The covering boards are 3 inches in thickness, so the lower of these 2 pieces is ideally 3/64” thick. These are test pieces in order to make sure that things look proportional before cutting out the full length pieces. The width of the lower piece is arbitrary, as it will be cut and sanded smooth with the surface of the hull planking below it.

That is shown here.

In order to not have to deal with bending this piece in the bow area, I cut strips corresponding to the curve of the bow.

This was not so necessary in the remainder of the hull, especially toward the stern.

The top surface of the hull planking just below the covering board had a varying angle, so that in some areas this strip of the covering board would be canted inward, in some areas it was level, and in yet other areas it tilted outboard.

It was very important to have this joint look clean and tight.

Gluing down this strip in the bow area required clamps that compressed the strip in an inboard direction, but also some clamps that would force the strip downward against the hull planking. The clamps with wood pieces beneath their jaws are exerting downward pressure.

How it looks from outboard.

In the bow area, the top surface of the hull planking is canted in an outboard direction, so the strip in this area is thicker than in others. That meant that the inboard edge of the strip had to be slightly thicker than elsewhere, and its surface trimmed down level with the remainder of the covering board, in order to end up with a level surface.

And then the width of the strip could then be cut and sanded smooth with the contour of the hull planking.

This is my sanding board created for that task.

Here are a couple of pictures showing the end result, after everything is trimmed level and painted up.

Next post we will start into the bulwarks planking.

Andrew, many thanks for your kind words.  I’ve enjoyed your builds as well - am really liking your Sparkler!  
 
Hope you are feeling better these days!  Warmer days are around the corner (hopefully) so would love to see you continue work on her!

Hi Mike, I really enjoy following your  builds and now understand you not being able to finish some of them.  Respect to you. Family before all else. Happy to follow along to whatever time you can steal for yourself and share with us. 😀

Lovely build, Jacques. 

This model is looking really sweet, J.C.  Very nice.
 
 
Whenever I'm unsure, I always wait until I am sure because it can be so difficult to undue. After the chainplates and rudder hinges are on, the decision may be easier.
 
Gary

Beautiful work, Glen - and now I know what parrel beads are.
 
Gary

Fantastic work, Glen!  Great soldering and well - everything else too.  Clean, crisp and as Keith said, handsome.
 
Gary 

Such graceful lines - beautifully built, Siggi.
 
Gary

Keith B, Paul, Chris, Druxey, Bowwild, Glen, Keith A, Andy, Marc and Rick - I thank you very much for the compliments and support.  And thanks for all the "thumbs up" and to those watching quietly. 
 
A brief update.
 
The wave break diverter that I installed in the last post has been removed and replaced with one of a different design.  The original one is something that might have been installed on a metal hull boat, but never on a wooden fishing vessel of this era.  The Pelican’s plan set shows a side view of the diverter, but no details or even a top view and what I ended up building was simply wrong.  Further research showed the wave breaks on these wooden draggers were built directly onto the deck and not constructed in a shop and then bolted on.
 
The images below show the before and after.
 

 

 
Creating the new wave break was the easy part.  Fixing the deck after tearing off the old one was the hard part because chunks of the “rubber membrane” tissue came off with it.  Heavy sigh.
 
Moving on, I built the galley stove stack and the only info I have on it is the outboard profile.  I lifted dimensions from the drawing but placed an alternative cap on top instead of the conical diamond shaped one shown on the drawing.  The lower half of the stack has a double wall which allows hot air to travel up between the two pipes and exit at the beveled cap where the outer wall terminates.  This helps protect the crew from burns when brushing against it.

 
 
It's made from brass and two modified plastic pieces from a Grandt Line boiler stack.

 
 
Solder and glue.

 
 
Once I knew how it would stand above the deck, I soldered on a deck collar.  Then blackened, oil paints and pigment powders.

 
 
A hole was cut through the deck and the stack inserted.  It still needs a support bracket off the doghouse and some butyl or tar at the deck.  But deck wear patterns around it and deck weathering in general will be done after all other objects and details are in place.  Meaning, not for a while.
 

 

 
Thanks for stopping and take care.
 
Gary

Nice to see an update on this model, Dan.
 

Absolutely ditto that!
 
Gary

Great start to an interesting project, Eric.  Looking forward to following along.
 
Gary

Keith B, Paul, Chris, Druxey, Bowwild, Glen, Keith A, Andy, Marc and Rick - I thank you very much for the compliments and support.  And thanks for all the "thumbs up" and to those watching quietly. 
 
A brief update.
 
The wave break diverter that I installed in the last post has been removed and replaced with one of a different design.  The original one is something that might have been installed on a metal hull boat, but never on a wooden fishing vessel of this era.  The Pelican’s plan set shows a side view of the diverter, but no details or even a top view and what I ended up building was simply wrong.  Further research showed the wave breaks on these wooden draggers were built directly onto the deck and not constructed in a shop and then bolted on.
 
The images below show the before and after.
 

 

 
Creating the new wave break was the easy part.  Fixing the deck after tearing off the old one was the hard part because chunks of the “rubber membrane” tissue came off with it.  Heavy sigh.
 
Moving on, I built the galley stove stack and the only info I have on it is the outboard profile.  I lifted dimensions from the drawing but placed an alternative cap on top instead of the conical diamond shaped one shown on the drawing.  The lower half of the stack has a double wall which allows hot air to travel up between the two pipes and exit at the beveled cap where the outer wall terminates.  This helps protect the crew from burns when brushing against it.

 
 
It's made from brass and two modified plastic pieces from a Grandt Line boiler stack.

 
 
Solder and glue.

 
 
Once I knew how it would stand above the deck, I soldered on a deck collar.  Then blackened, oil paints and pigment powders.

 
 
A hole was cut through the deck and the stack inserted.  It still needs a support bracket off the doghouse and some butyl or tar at the deck.  But deck wear patterns around it and deck weathering in general will be done after all other objects and details are in place.  Meaning, not for a while.
 

 

 
Thanks for stopping and take care.
 
Gary

Greetings Fellow Modelers,
 
Thank you Valeriy for your kind words, and thanks to all for the "likes."
 
 
Here’s an update on the Pelican’s whaleback.  First, the toerails along the P/S edges of the deck are cut to shape then heat bent.
 

 

 
 
Next, the ventilator and its mounting/rotation flange got some color.  I used a product on the cowl from AK Interactive that I’ve not tried before called True Metal.  This paint was recommended to me by @TOM G and it works great although I haven’t yet mastered how to apply and polish it for best results.  It’s a wax based colorant similar to Rub’n Buff, but whereas that product is more of an architectural hardware restorer, True Metal paint is produced for the model hobby and comes in a dozen or so colors that modelers can use.  An interesting product that so far, I like – thanks Tom.
 
The cowl below is a mixture of TM “steel” and “iron” applied with a colour shaper.  Almost looks galvanized.

 

 
 
A beveled coaming/plinth is added.

 
 
The “wave break” is a diverter whose purpose is to keep water coming over the bow from flowing aft onto the main deck. It’s made from .03” (.76mm) sheet styrene which scales to about 1.4” (36mm) thickness.

 
 
It’s dirtied up a bit and holes were drilled at each bolt-down location. The unit was temporarily located on the whaleback and selected bolt-down holes were drilled through into the deck.

 
 
Leaving some of the bolt shanks provided a foolproof way to affix it without concern of getting glue smear on the deck surface.  Bolts are Grandt Line 5113.
 

 
 
The stemhead fitting is brass with a scale thickness of about .5” (13mm) and the eyes are flattened wire.  One of the wires will be clipped flush on the backside and the other will penetrate the wood stem.

 
 
A port side deck ladder is made of .035” (.9mm) brass rod and finished with Jax Flemish Gray.

 
 
The ladder receives two styrene mounting brackets and weathering pigment.

 
 
Two 40” (102cm) tie off cleats will be primed then painted with True Metal on top.  I drilled into the bottoms and glued in stubs of brass wire for deck attachment.

 
 
Then all of the above was glued to the model.

 

 

 

 
 
Trim pieces were added here and there.  All of it is basswood except for the half-round styrene on the right.

 
 
A wider strip of half-round styrene was added as a rub rail just below the deck surface.  This strip also secures the rubber membrane flap that folds over the deck edge.

 
Thanks for stopping by for a look.
 
Be safe and stay well.
 
Gary

Such graceful lines - beautifully built, Siggi.
 
Gary

This model is looking really sweet, J.C.  Very nice.
 
 
Whenever I'm unsure, I always wait until I am sure because it can be so difficult to undue. After the chainplates and rudder hinges are on, the decision may be easier.
 
Gary

Such graceful lines - beautifully built, Siggi.
 
Gary

Nice to see an update on this model, Dan.
 

Absolutely ditto that!
 
Gary

This model is looking really sweet, J.C.  Very nice.
 
 
Whenever I'm unsure, I always wait until I am sure because it can be so difficult to undue. After the chainplates and rudder hinges are on, the decision may be easier.
 
Gary

Thanks Rob!  
 
For some reason, I tend to lose interest in builds as I get near the finishing point.  Part of it I think comes down to hitting a point where I feel like I want to figure out how to approach something I've never done before - so rather than hit build paralysis, I just pick up something else.  Part of it might also be avoiding finishing the build, as it seems anticlimactic, if not depressing, as it is like saying goodbye to an old friend.  
 
A more recent development for me is that my mother-in-law passed away a couple of years ago, so my father-in-law is living with us in a spare bedroom in our basement.  My power tools and airbrush are down there, so it's difficult to put much work into models in late evenings like I used to as he tends to go to bed early.  It's much easier for me to do early construction parts of builds upstairs, so that's a big reason why I have a number of kits in various stages of completion.  
 
Along those lines, I started a Planet Models 1/72 Gamma a week and a half ago.  It's a quick build, and I'm already at the painting stage.  Given the size, I can run downstairs in the early evening to throw some paint on, then work on other things in the later evening.  That was originally my palette-cleanser build, but got stuck with the painting.  I probably won't put a build log on here or LSM as it's not particularly topical or likely interesting for folks, but I have a project log on Scalemates going so that I can remember what I've done on builds -- or re-live some of the painful moments  

Nice little craft in very large scale, Mike, this should be interesting and hopefully refreshing, as you wanted it to be. 

Cheers Rob

Thanks for the call out.  Those interested can see the gallery of my build by following the link in my signature.  I did not do a build log.  Mine was something I ordered off the web during the pandemic and the color choices mostly came down to what rattle can paint I had on hand.
 
It was something a little different to build but came together well and fairly quickly.   As I recall, I just spent a few weekends working on it.